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.