Kinship Navigator Spotlight Arlillian Nixon
September 6, 2024
RCCS Kinship Navigator Arlillian Nixon
September is National Kinship Care Month and Richland County Children Services (RCCS) is recognizing the great work of our kinship care navigators, Rhonda Marsh and Arlillian Nixon. Rhonda and Arlillian work with families to locate and obtain community services for which they are eligible. The resources may include Medicaid coverage, food stamps, childcare subsidies, and utilities assistance. The Kinship Navigator team is making a positive impact on families and our community.
Arlillian shares in her own words why her job is rewarding….
“Being a Kinship navigator is providing a ser-vice for families who need additional support. There have been many cases that have touched my heart, especially one. There was a young lady who took the responsibility of taking in four kinship children on top of her own. The bond that this family had was amazing, especially with her being so young. These children were so respectful, they all worked together, and there was never a moment that the children would leave the room or get off the phone without telling this young lady they loved her. The young lady was very independ-ent and did not seek help to get what she needed for these children or her own. To ease some of the pressure from her I was able to put some services in place to assist her. This young lady was so grateful just for the little support she was able to receive. The reward of being a Kinship Navigator is seeing these Kin-ship Caregivers stand in the gap for their fami-lies, regardless to how hard things get and love them unconditionally, without expecting any-thing in return. It makes it all worth while be-ing able to step in and help these families even just a little bit.” - Arlillian Nixon
