Why a Wrap-Around Model Works: Moving the Needle on Thriving in Topeka

/ Commentary, SENT Impact / By

Every day, neighbors walk through SENT’s doors carrying stories that span far beyond a single need. A mother searching for stable housing is also trying to find child care so she can return to work. A teen struggling in school is also dealing with anxiety after witnessing neighborhood violence. A father seeking recovery is also facing eviction and wondering how to feed his family.

These stories reveal a truth that’s both simple and profound:

Human needs don’t exist in silos—and neither should the solutions.

That belief is at the heart of SENT’s work. Since our founding, we’ve walked beside neighbors through loving relationships and strategic development—connecting housing, health, education, and economic opportunity into a single, coordinated system of care.

Because when every part of a person’s life is supported, real transformation happens.

The Hierarchy of Needs: Why Basic Stability Matters

Psychologist Abraham Maslow described a simple truth decades ago—human beings can’t thrive if their basic needs aren’t met. Before we can focus on growth, education, or opportunity, we need food, safety, shelter, and health.

According to the Partnership for Strong Communities, social and economic conditions—things like food access, housing quality, transportation, and employment—determine up to 40% of overall health outcomes. (Source)

That means the biggest influences on our health and success aren’t found in hospitals or classrooms alone—they’re found in neighborhoods.

In Kansas, those needs remain very real:

  • 14% of Kansans experience food insecurity, and in some counties, more than 1 in 5 children go hungry. (Source)
  • 12.3% of Kansas households face severe housing problems, like overcrowding, high rent burden, or lack of running water or heat. (Source)
  • More than half of low-income renter families nationwide spend over 50% of their income on housing, leaving little margin for food, health, or education. (Source)

When families live this close to the edge, even small challenges—like a missed paycheck or a car repair—can spiral into crisis.

That’s why SENT’s approach starts with stability first, and then moves upward—step by step—through personalized, relational support.

How SENT’s Wrap-Around Model Works

Our model connects every part of life into a coordinated system of care. It’s what we call Neighbor Advocacy—our form of person-centered case management.

Each neighbor begins with a simple, relational intake. From there, a Neighbor Advocate helps create an individualized plan that may include:

  1. Immediate stability through food access at the Southside Filling Station and SNAP enrollment via mRelief.
  2. Health and safety supports, including medical care, therapy, or substance use treatment through the Southside Wellness Clinic, maternal health support, and behavioral health programs.
  3. Housing stabilization, from rental referrals and curb appeal repairs to long-term goals like homeownership preparation.
  4. Education and workforce development, including youth prevention and mentoring programs (Campus Connections, Creative Expressions, Level Up) and adult pathways through workforce development or the SER program.
  5. Ongoing relational support, connecting neighbors to transportation, wellness, parenting groups, and holistic care—because no one pathway is linear.

This is how we move the needle. When one part of life improves, the others can too—and SENT’s wrap-around model ensures those gains are connected and sustained.

Why “One Service” Isn’t Enough

Targeting one area alone can help, but research shows it often isn’t enough to end cycles of poverty.

For example:

  • Housing disadvantage is linked to worse mental health, while housing improvements lead to measurable gains in depression and anxiety. (Source)
  • Food insecurity not only affects physical health—it even impacts children’s test scores, which drop when SNAP benefits run out near the end of the month. (Source)
  • Stress from unstable housing or unsafe neighborhoods contributes to higher substance use risk, showing why prevention and recovery programs must work hand in hand. (Source)

In other words, when a family faces instability in one area, it often ripples into others.
Our model is designed to close those gaps—so that every service, from therapy to job training, reinforces the others.

Evidence of Impact

The results speak for themselves.

  • During one month in 2025, five times more pantry visitors connected to jobs and education pathways through Neighbor Advocacy. While these numbers fluctuate, we continue to see upward trends in connecting people with resources they need.
  • Our Southside Wellness Clinic has celebrated multiple healthy deliveries through our maternal health partnership.
  • Mental health services and substance use treatment have reached record highs, providing trauma-informed support to teens, adults, and families.
  • And through the Curb Appeal program, families are investing up to $10,000 per home to improve safety, pride, and neighborhood stability.

Each success story reflects the same principle:

When needs are met in one area, stability follows in another.

Breaking the Cycle, Together

Research from Empower CDC found that when basic needs go unmet—housing, food, safety, education—crime risk increases and communities become less stable. (Source)

That’s why SENT’s work is not just about services—it’s about prevention. When we stabilize families, we strengthen entire neighborhoods. Since 2018, we have witnessed a 29% drop in total crime, and a 21% drop in violent crime in the Hi-Crest neighborhood.

We believe prevention is the most powerful form of community transformation. That’s why SENT’s model aligns with the national Communities in Action framework from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which highlights integrated, community-based systems as the key to achieving health equity. (Source)

The Road Ahead: 2026 and Beyond

This year, we’re dedicating every month to showcasing one part of our wrap-around model—highlighting how health, housing, education, and relationships work together to create lasting change.

Each post, story, and video will spotlight neighbors, staff, and community partners who embody what’s possible when support systems connect.

Because thriving communities aren’t built from single services—they’re built from shared lives.

Together, we’re proving that change isn’t just possible—it’s happening.

When we walk beside our neighbors through loving relationships and strategic development, the whole community rises.

📚 Sources

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