Housing Choices Among Homeless Families in Child Welfare ...
Collaborative Supportive Housing Model for Child...
Transcript of Collaborative Supportive Housing Model for Child...
FROM THE HEART: Collaborative Supportive
Housing Model
for Child Welfare
HEART Presenters
• Lisa Bayne, LCSW, KID Vice President of Programs
• Andria Dewson, MSW RCSWI, HEART Director
• Stacey Charles, MSW RCSWI, HEART Clinical Case Manager
• Stephen Ferrante, MSW, Group Victory Consultant
Session Objectives
• Learn How Collaborations were
Established & Executed
• Understand Project Planning &
Methodologies
• Share Preliminary Project Successes
& Evaluation Findings
Project Planning: Pre-Application
• Gathering Key Stakeholders
• Facilitated Dialogue
o Need & Priorities
o Ideal System of Care
o Resource & Service Leveraging
o Gaps & Capacity Building
• Community Consensus
HEART Intent ADDRESS
• Child Welfare & Child Protective
Services Involvement
• Family Homelessness
• Family Economic Instability
• Family Recidivism
HEART Goals 50 High Risk / High Need Families Achieve the Following:
Primary Goals • Reduce the number of child welfare contacts
• Reduce the incidents of child maltreatment
• Reduce the number of child removals
• Reduce the number of foster care placements
• Increase housing stability
• Decrease costs associated with child welfare involvement & homelessness
Secondary Goals• Increase healthy parenting skills
• Increase emotional coping strategies among family members
• Increase family employment
• Increase family financial management and stability
• Increase legal self-advocacy
• Increase attainment of permanent affordable housing
Project Planning: Committees
• Steering & Advisory Council o Leadership / Champions
o Governance / Experts
o Sustainability
• Program (with Monthly Partner Briefing)o Readiness Assessment
o Implementation Planning / Work Plan
o Targeting
o Housing Coordination
o Support System of Care Coordination
o Program Protocols (Manual) & Training
• Communicationo Public Marketing & Relations
o Resource Acquisition & Development
• Evaluation: Design & Methodology
HEART Approach • Highest Need FamiliesoChild Welfare Lead Agencies
oHomeless Continuum of Care
oKey “Gatekeeper” Collaboration
• Affordable Housing Access oHousing First & Rapid Re-Housing(Scattered Site)
oEmergency & Transitional Housing
oPublic Housing Authority Collaboration
oPublic Housing Choice Vouchers
oHousing Coordinator
oHousing Liaison
oPermanent Supportive Housing
HEART Model • Intensive Supportive Service
Infrastructure
oCentralized Case Management
oCollaboration with Service Agencies aligned
with Family Needs & Successes
oMainstream Resource & Benefit Linkage
oEvidence-based Treatment Interventions
oIn-Home & Community-based Service
Delivery
oSingle System of Care Model
HEART PartnersPARTNER ROLE
KID, Inc. (Kids in Distress) Lead Community Youth & Family Services Provider:
Project Lead Agency; Clinical Case Management
ChildNet Lead Child Welfare Agency: Referral & Triage
Housing Coordinator
Broward Sheriff’s Office Lead Child Protection Agency: Referral & Triage
5 Public Housing Authorities Housing Choice Voucher Provider & Liaison (50 Vouchers)
HOPE South Florida Emergency & Transitional Housing
Urban League of Broward County Economic Self-Sufficiency Provider
Legal Aid of Broward County Legal Counsel & Guidance
Broward Health Health Access, Education & Screening
Broward Addiction Recovery Center Substance Abuse & Behavioral Health Support
Women in Distress Domestic Violence Prevention
Broward County Homeless Initiative CoC Lead Agency; CoC Access
Barry University Local Evaluation
Group Victory, LLC Planning, Implementation & Sustainability Support
Primary Direct Service Team
PARTNER ROLE
KID, Inc. Project Director
5 Clinical Case Managers
(10:1 Ratio)
ChildNet Housing Coordinator
Urban League of Broward County 2 Family Life Coaches
Legal Aid of Broward County 1 Family Attorney
Targeting Families• Extremely Low Income: 30% of area median income
• Inadequate Housing / Housing Instabilityo HUD Definition for Homelessness
• Child Welfare Involvemento Verified Maltreatment
o Child Removal Risk / Child Removal
o History of Family Child Welfare Recidivism
o Legal Sufficiency for Judicial Involvement / Judicial Involvement
o Reunification Family: Housing one of Remaining Barriers
• At-Risk & Multiple High Needso Mental Health
o Substance Abuse
o Domestic Violence
o Development &/or Physical Disabilities
o Young Children
o Many Children
o Household Trauma
Family Selection APPLICATION
(ChildNet & BSO)
ELIGIBILITY AND VERIFICATION
(KID, ChildNet, BSO & PHA)
RANDOMIZATION
(Urban Institute)
ENROLLMENT
(KID, ChildNet & BSO)
ENGAGEMENT
(KID, HEART Partners & Barry University)
HEART Families
• Prevention Families: 25 Families
o Diversion – No Services
o Diversion – Some Community Services
• Reunification Families: 25 Families
o New – 60 Days Adjudication
o Pre-Reunification
100% Families Child Maltreatment
HEART FAMILIESReferral Sources
39%
61%
BSO ChildNet
HEART FAMILIES
Composition
Single Child31%
Two-Three 57%
Four-Five24%
Six+6%
Children
Single-Parent Family89%
Two-Parent Family11%
Family Make-up
18-2216%
23-2731%
28-3229%
33-372%
38-4213%
43+9%
HEART FAMILIES Parent Age
HEART FAMILIES
Income
0
6
12
18
24
30
36
42
48
Employment SSI/SSDI Child Support SNAP TANF
Income Sources
HEART FAMILIES
Employment & Education
Employed42%
Unemployed58%
Employment
HS Diploma
40%
Middle School
5%
GED7%
Some HS
29%
Some College
15%
AA2%
BA2%
Education
HEART FAMILIES
Backgrounds
Yes46%
No54%
Evictions
Yes44%
No56%
Criminal Backgrounds
HEART FamiliesInadequate Housing
• Street / Car: 22%
• Homeless Shelter: 16%
• Unstable Environment: 42%
• Fleeing Domestic Violence: 20%
• 3 or more Homeless Episodes: 40%
HEART FamiliesAt-Risk & Multiple Needs
• Substance Abuse: 27%
• Mental Health: 51%
• Domestic Violence: 25%
• Chronic Health Problem: 19%• 9
• Child Disabled: 31%
• Child Maltreatment History: 47%
HEART AT WORK
Housing Coordination• Seamless Access to Emergency Sheltering
• Consolidated Housing Voucher Commitment
• Prompt Housing Voucher Appointments
• Combined Housing Voucher Certification &
Orientation
• Follow-up Legal Aid Housing Briefing
• Landlord Engagement & Inventory Building
• Leasing & Inspection Process Communication
• Household Donation & Storage Acquisition
• Household Moving Donation Acquisition
• Project “Fit” within Housing Authority Structure
Supportive Service Coordination
• Single Project Identification
• Unified Interagency Staff
• Shared Mission, Priorities & Values
• Role Clarification & Compliment
• Shared Tasks & Responsibility
• Strong Interagency Communication
• Consistent Family Communication
• Effective Interagency Collaboration
• Resource Sharing
• Mutual Support
• Celebrations of Success & Each Other
Collaborative Partner Involvement
• Housing Authority provided 50 vouchers
• Hope South Florida temporarily housed 7 families
• Women In Distress temporarily housed 6 families
• Women In Distress provided 4 seminars
• Urban League provided economic self-sufficiency
services to 38 participants
• Broward Health provided 4 seminars
• Legal Aid provided 4 seminars
• Legal Aid has assisted 32 participants with legal
issues
• Strengthening Families implementation with 8 families
Evidence-Based Practices• Strengthening Families Parenting Program
• Offered both In-Home and in Group Format
• Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Center for Working Families Model
• Financial Literacy Coaching
Research-Based Practices• Partners for a Healthy Baby
HEART’s IMPACT
HEARTFamilies’ Housing
HEARTFamilies’ Housing
HEART Homes Furnished
HEART Families Kitchens Stocked
HEARTStrengthening Families
Program
HEARTChildren Reunified
HEARTChildren Reunified
HEARTFamily Successes
• Completed Hospitality Management Certification
• Passed Teachers Assistant test & orientation
• Purchased a car
• Daughter made the honor roll
• Son got straight A’s
• Son’s leukemia is in remission!
• Granted overnight visits
• Social Security finally approved!
• Salary Increase
• Completed the financial literacy course
• Obtained GED
• My Kids Came Home!
HEART
Family Employment
HEART Challenges
• Engagement
• Harm Reduction Model
• Establishing Partner Roles
• Client Backgrounds
• Length of Reunification
• Separating Clinical Work from Case
Management
• Not a single family lost their voucher
• Not a single family broke their lease
• No additional removals occurred
• Trust was built
• Support was established
• Families were brought back together
HEART SuccessesDuring Implementation Year 1
“Mommy, say ‘thank you’ to me.
I’m the one who wished for a home.”
And their wish came true.