2.7: Addressing the Substance Abuse Challenges of Homeless Families Presentation by Susan Dargon Hart

1. Helping Homeless Families
Find Their Strength and
Build Stability One Step at a Time
Susan Dargon-Hart, LICSW
Institute for Health and Recovery
susanhart@healthrecovery.org
Institute for Health and Recovery

2. Philosophy of Care
Hope Rising
IHR Video
Institute for Health and Recovery

3. Who are our clients?
• Homeless families struggling with SUD/COD
– Children of clients
– Partners not living in the shelter
• Temporarily housed in state Department of
Housing and Community Development
(DHCD)-funded motels, shelters, and
temporary housing
• DHCD/Housing Authority/Housing First
Programs
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4. Engagement
• Reluctant to meet with yet
another provider
• Assessment – whole
person, family-based,
resiliency approach
• Children
– Present during assessment
– Focusing on children’s
needs
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5. Goal is to Reduce Harm:
Creating a safer environment for ALL
family members no matter where they
are living
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6. Client-Driven Process
• Family-based, “home visiting” interventions
– Going to where the family is located
– Driving family to appointments
• Tools integrated from:
– MI, Stages of Change, CBT, Care
Coordination, SUD/COD psycho-
education, SUD/COD treatment, Trauma-
Informed Care - Seeking Safety &
Nurturing Program
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7. Philosophy of Care
RISE is:
• Family focused
• Evidence-based
• Consumer directed
• Trauma informed
• Culturally relevant
• Strength-based
• Relationship valuing
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8. Motivational Interviewing
• Provide evidence-based
practices based on MI
• Focuses on strengths and
competencies of each person
so she/he can become a
leader in her/his own service
plan and personal progress
• Provide MI training to
shelter/DHCD staff
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9. Seeking Safety
• Cognitive-behavioral integrated, trauma-
substance use recovery curriculum, specific
strategies and tools to promote physical and
emotional safety
• Provides tools to avoid/prevent relapse from
substance use, mental health issues and trauma
• A non-judgmental approach towards active use
• RISE conducts Seeking Safety individually
• Provides Trauma-Informed Services training to
DHCD and shelter staff
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10. The Nurturing Program for Families in
Substance Abuse Treatment and Recovery
• Nurturing Program (NP)
Parenting group is a well
established, evidence-based
parenting intervention, on
NREPP
• Cognitive-behavioral model;
encourages women to
explore similarities between
ways they were parented and
ways they are currently
parenting
• NP curriculum also
integrated within individual
sessions
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11. “Those who work well, play well,
love well, and expect well.”
(Werner and Smith, 1982)
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12. Stabilization Skills
• Sharing, teaching and modeling life management
skills
– Better reactions, better results
– Motivate to take action around job and/or
education
– Housing and tenancy skills
• Relapse Responsive
• Risk Reduction
• Treatment retention issues
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13. Graduation
• Determine a good
time to end services
– “They end us”
– Mutually agreed
closure
• Satisfaction Survey
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14. IHR Homeless Services
Systems Integration
Agency Level
• Regional cross trainings
– SUD, COD, trauma-informed services
– Motivational Interviewing
– Impact on family & housing stability
• TA, support & consultation on families impacted
by SUD/CODs, treatment & recovery
– Emergency family shelter staff, Transitional Housing, Housing
First
– Other agencies providing services to homeless families
– Domestic Violence organizations
– Local child welfare offices
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15. How does this model fit into
Healthcare Reform?
• Shift model to fit into a traditional 3rd party
payer design without losing non-judgmental
approach
• Using paperwork as engagement tools
• Outpatient home-based services
• Doing a diagnostic evaluation in a risk
reduction framework
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16. How do you engage homeless
families?
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