A Denton-based support services agency received $40,000 in grants to help support its mission of helping families.
Cumberland Youth & Family Services was given the grant after being selected as a 2026 recipient by Texas Women’s Foundation, and plans to use the funds to help single-parent families in Denton County.
The grant money was provided by the Mrs. H.L. (Ruth Ray) Hunt Memorial Fund.
“Cumberland is honored to partner with Texas Women’s Foundation to serve vulnerable families in North Texas,” said Courtney Banatoski, president and CEO of Cumberland Youth & Family Services. “Our organization has served the Denton community for 94 years, and community partners like Texas Women’s Foundation are how we continue to meet the changing needs of our community.”
According to Cumberland, the program’s Family Residential Program is an affordable housing program designed specifically for resilient, single parent households.
The families are considered ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed), and the vast majority have a history of past abuse and/or trauma.
Cumberland said these families often spend more than 30% of their monthly income on rent, with incomes averaging $24,000 to $45,000 annually.
The funds awarded to Cumberland will help stabilize those families.
“There are hardworking families who are struggling with rising costs and housing affordability,” said Banatoski. “This grant will help us maximize the impact we’re making, each and every day, in the lives of the children, mothers and grandmothers we serve in our Family Residential Program.”
According to Cumberland, the funds will help more than 8,000 days of care for 11 single-parent families, which includes, but isn’t limited to, affordable housing with a progressive rent structure, case management, trauma-informed counseling services, parenting workshops, financial literacy, barrier funds for emergencies and progress funds for academic and career support.
“At Texas Women’s Foundation, we know that affordable and stable housing is the foundation to a woman’s ability to build economic security, stability and success,” said Karen Hughes White, CEO of Texas Women’s Foundation. “Cumberland Youth & Family Services is providing the comprehensive, wraparound support that helps hardworking single mothers overcome barriers, strengthen their financial futures, and thrive.”
According to the latest data from United Way of Denton County, 66% of single-mother households in Denton County are considered ALICE. They are employed and hardworking but are, nevertheless, one crisis away from homelessness.
Whereas the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has increased by 52% since 2007, the ALICE Essentials Index (which tracks only ALICE essentials) has increased by 66% for ALICE families.
Cumberland said there are resources available to extremely impoverished families, however, there is a gap in resources available to working mothers who may not qualify for federal housing assistance.
The organization’s Family Residential Program helps parents bridge that gap so they can maximize their resources and obtain valuable education credentials.
According to Cumberland, 17 families participated in the program in 2025, and 85% were enrolled in college or trade and certificate programs.
“We are proud to invest in their work through the Mrs. H.L. (Ruth Ray) Hunt Memorial Fund and partner with an organization that is creating lasting change for women, their families and their futures,” said White.
Cumberland recently announced the expansion of its counseling services to Lewisville as a way to further impact families in need across Denton County.
