Siemer Institute for Family Stability

1. Siemer Institute for Family Stability United Way of the Mid-South– July 11, 2012

2. Siemer Family Foundation • A supporting foundation of The Columbus Foundation, Al and Barbara Siemer established the Family Stability Initiative (FSI) in 2003. • Developed to help reduce student mobility and increase academic success. • FSI focused on improving long-term housing and economic stability for families at-risk of homelessness with the ultimate goal of keeping students in their school to reduce student mobility. 2

3. Family Stability Initiative • Has helped several thousand families on their path to self-sustainment. • Initially launched in Sarasota, Florida, the initiative grew to include Orlando, Tampa, Ft. Myers, Jacksonville and Miami. • In 2008, Columbus was added and programs have since been established in Cleveland, Toledo and Cincinnati. 3

4. Partnership with United Way Central Ohio • The Siemer Family Foundation partnered with United Way of Central Ohio to create the Siemer Institute for Family Stability (SIFS) in May, 2011. • The creation of SIFS is the first step toward moving the community impact achieved by these successful local initiatives to a collective impact on a national level. • SIFS and the local United Ways focus the program in neighborhoods and schools with high student mobility rates. 4

5. Siemer Institute for Family Stability • Brings together key leaders, both local and national, to guide program policy and practice. • Create a collaborative learning environment through collective impact. • Establishing a platform for reducing student mobility by preventing homelessness for families with school-aged children in communities across the nation. • Expand the program in up to 50 United Ways across the country in the next few years. 5

6. Siemer Institute for Family Stability • Align and coordinate the activities of existing program sites through data collection and evaluation. • Provide oversight and guidance to the United Ways that are responsible for managing the local service providers who will administer the program. • Creates long lasting change by addressing and resolving the issues that push families to the brink of homelessness. • Provide ongoing management through the leadership of a National Director. 6

7. About The Program… • The program’s success is based on intervention, prevention and education. • Case managers work intensively with families for three to six months, and following them for up to a year to provide additional counseling and support. 7

8. About The Program… Participating family receives individual attention and guidance from a case manager who provide: • Family counseling and advocacy for the family • Assistance in negotiations with landlords and other entities to help families remain in their homes • Household budgeting assistance, connections to resources and supports to prevent future crises • Short-term financial support for rent, mortgage assistance, transportation, job training and utility bills • Connecting participants to resources to obtain their GED 8

9. Student Mobility - Effect on Children • One of the most detrimental trends affecting a student’s ability to succeed in the classroom happens outside of school walls. • When parents or guardians are struggling to make ends meet financially, dealing with abusive or unhealthy relationships or shifting locations due to work, the children involved are often forced to move from one school to the next. 9

10. Student Mobility – Effect on Children • This constant mobility makes it difficult for a child to feel connected to a school, make new friends, be accepted socially, and most importantly, stay on target academically. • Research shows children in families who lack permanent housing have difficulty learning. • Not only do the children experience the anxiety created by the family, situation, but they often have increased incidences of school absences and serious disciplines problems. 10

11. Participants in SIFS reported: • Increased housing stability. • Increased life-skills capabilities such as household budgeting. • Increased school stability for children. • Greater capacity to avoid another housing crisis. 11

12. SIFS Current Programs • Arkansas • Little Rock • Ohio • Cincinnati, Cleveland Columbus, Dayton, Toledo • Florida • Ft Myers, Jacksonville Miami, Orlando, Tampa Sarasota • Indiana • Indianapolis • Maryland • Baltimore • Pennsylvania • Pittsburgh • Iowa • Des Moines • Wisconsin • Madison, Milwaukee

13. SIFS Expansion • Partnering with United Ways that will implement and oversee the local program and customize it to the need of their community. • SIFS partnership is with the local United Way. • The local United Way will select the service provider that will manage the program. 13

14. SIFS Expansion • The funding commitment from SIFS is for three annual payments of $50,000 with a local 1:1 match requirement by the local United Way or supporters. • Based on the interest years two and three SIFS funding can be increased to $100,000. • SIFS funds are intended to be used for case management expense and the matching funds can be used for direct financial assistance to participants. • In-direct administrative expenses are not to be subtracted from the SIFS grant funding. 14

15. Benefits of Participation in SIFS • SIFS will market and publicize the Institute to prospective national and regional foundations and other interested stakeholders. • SIFS Resource Center has been created and is available for use by the United Ways to provide a framework for building their local program. • SIFS will partner with the local United Way to share lessons learned from other communities through formal and information channels; • SIFS will provide technical and program assistance as needed, including program sustainability. 15

16. SIFS Participation Requirement • Provide a dollar for dollar match. • A local United Way associate will participate in up to two annual meetings with other United Ways to discuss the SIFS program, provide feedback on successes and areas for improvement. • Submit all program outcome reports by established deadlines. • Actively promote the Siemer Institute for Family Stability by using the SIFS branded logo on the local United Way web site as well as any literature that promotes the local program, including use by the local service provider. 16

17. Program Definition Stable Family (Housing - Income - Well-Being): • A stable family that successfully achieves self-sufficiency through housing stability, establishing pathways to sources of income, and cultivating positive family well-being, through healthy emotional, mental, behavioral, and academic functioning and collective resiliency. 17

18. Program Definition Disruptive Move: • The school move is reflective of the family’s ongoing instability.  The Family Stability Initiative was not made aware of the move prior to taking place, nor were the schools given sufficient notice. Planned Move: • School move was coordinated, with the support of the Family Stability Initiative, and child is now in a school that is closer to the family’s stable housing, will provide long term school stability, and/or better fits the child’s academic or social needs. 18

19. Program Data Collection and Outcome Measures • Number of families to be served: • Families served that will have a successful outcome (by not becoming homeless during the service period). • Families that will remain stable in housing one year following the termination of the services. • Number of school aged children in families served: • Children served that will remain stable in school as evidenced by remaining in their school of origin. • Children served that made a planned, supported transfer in school. • Children served that had a disruptive move to another school, other than their school of origin. 19

20. www.familystability.org 20