The document describes a collaborative supportive housing model called HEART for families involved in the child welfare system. It discusses how the project was planned through establishing stakeholder committees and a single system of care. HEART aims to address family homelessness, economic instability, and recidivism through providing intensive case management, evidence-based treatments, and affordable housing access to 50 high-risk families over 2 years. Preliminary outcomes include housing stability, family reunification, and increased self-sufficiency among participants. Challenges in engagement and length of reunification are also noted.
2. 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
3. Session Objectives
•Learn How Collaborations were
Established & Executed
•Understand Project Planning &
Methodologies
•Share Preliminary Project Successes
& Evaluation Findings
4. 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
6. 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
7.
8. 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
• Communication
o Public Marketing & Relations
o Resource Acquisition & Development
• Evaluation: Design & Methodology
9. HEART Approach
• Highest Need Families
oChild 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
10. 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
11. HEART Partners
PARTNER 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
12. 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
13. Targeting Families
• Extremely Low Income: 30% of area median income
• Inadequate Housing / Housing Instability
o HUD Definition for Homelessness
• Child Welfare Involvement
o 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 Needs
o Mental Health
o Substance Abuse
o Domestic Violence
o Development &/or Physical Disabilities
o Young Children
o Many Children
o Household Trauma
14. 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)
15. 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
20. HEART FAMILIES
Employment & Education
Employed
41%Unemp
loyed
59%
Employment
High
School
Diploma
44%
GED
2%
Some
High
School
33%
Some
College
18%
Bachel
ors
3%
Education
26. 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
27. Collaborative Partner Involvement
• Housing Authority provided 49 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
28. 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
38. HEART
Family 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!
40. HEART Challenges
• Engagement
• Harm Reduction Model
• Establishing Partner Roles
• Client Backgrounds
• Length of Reunification
• Separating Clinical Work from Case
Management
41. • 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 Successes
During Implementation Year 1
42. “Mommy, say ‘thank you’ to me.
I’m the one who wished for a home.”
And their wish came true.
