Keeping Families Together & Safe: The Child Protection-Housing Connection

1. Keeping Families Together & Safe:The Child Protection-Housing Connection Caren Kaplan, ACSW Roxana Torrico, MSW Child Welfare League of America February 26, 2007 “A house is a home, when it shelters the body and comforts the soul.” -Phillip Moffitt (1986)

2. Correlation Between Child Welfare & Homelessness • Children from homes with housing problems are most likely to be in foster care than children without housing problems (46% vs. 27%). • 30% of children in foster care could be reunited with their parents if safe, stable & affordable housing were available. • It has been found that reunification rates for families in foster care are approx 50% lower for families who experienced a homeless episode in the 12 months prior to a child being placed in foster care.

3. Correlation Between Child Welfare & Homelessness continued…. • Homeless parents who report foster care hx are 2x more likely to have their own children placed in foster care. • 3 in 10 of the nation’s homeless adults report foster care history. • Lack of housing contributes to health, education social problems for homeless children. • Homeless children lose about 4 to 6 months of education every time they move. • Homeless children experience anxiety, depression and an inability to maintain friendships.

4. What else are families facing? High Housing Costs • According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s most recent, Out of Reach publication, there is no where in the country where a full-time minimum wage worker can EVEN afford a one-bedroom at the Fair Market Rent.

5. Do you know how much the Housing Wage is in your State???

6. States Ranked Based on 2-Bedroom Housing Wage Most Expensive (Top 5) • District of Columbia $24.73 • Hawaii $23.53 • California $22.86 • Massachusetts $22.65 • New Jersey $21.21 Least Expensive (Bottom 5) • Alabama $10.55 • Arkansas $10.40 • North Dakota $10.33 • West Virginia $10.10 • Puerto Rico $8.83

7. Cost Benefit According to research in the Child Welfare, Special Issue on Housing and Homelessness: The average annual cost of keeping an average child welfare size (2.7 children) family in foster care =$47,608** • The average cost of providing permanent housing with support services for 1 year = $13,412. • Nationally, Housing with supportive services=$16,923,478; Foster Care with Services=$53,286,333 SAVINGS could be:$36,362,854 annually!! ** This includes room, board and supportive services

8. Keeping Families Together & Safe (KFTS) Initiative CWLA seeks to increase the # of families who are able to stay together by developing and implementing an education and training initiative for child protection workers and housing professionals. Objectives: 1) Increase understanding of one another's roles, responsibilities, and resources, and of the respective agencies and systems in which they perform their work. 2) Provide a foundation for both formal and informal linkages and partnerships across these two service systems. 3) Improve both systems' capacity to assess and identify the housing needs of families who come to the attention of the child protection agency. 4) Develop both systems' capacity to address the housing needs of families who come to the attention of the child protection agency, whenever resources are available.

9. CWLA’s Keeping Families Together and Safe (KFTS) Initiative continued.. The Cross – Systems Training Target Audience • Child welfare front-line workers and supervisors— this includes child protection and family service workers (family preservation and family support services) • Homeless services workers and supervisors who provide direct services to homeless and precariously housed through housing assistance, shelter, & support services.

10. CWLA’s Keeping Families Together and Safe (KFTS) Initiative The Project Phase I funded by Freddie Mac Foundation • Development of Primer on Child Protection – Housing Connection • Development of Curriculum for Cross Training of Front-Line Workers • Pilot Test Curriculum in Prince Georges County, evaluated and revised based on evaluation findings

11. CWLA’s Keeping Families Together and Safe (KFTS) Initiative continued.. The Project Phase IIfunded by Freddie Mac & Daniels Fund • Conducted and evaluated 2 additional pilots of curriculum (Phoenix & Chicago) • Refined and finalized Workers curriculum • Developed Supervisors curriculum (draft) • Developed Administrators Guide (draft) • Conducted and evaluated an integrated field test using all 3 project components (conducted in DC)

12. Evaluation Methodology Pilots conducted: Phoenix (3.8.06) & Chicago (4.4.06) • Pre-Test/Post-Test • Exit Questionnaire

13. Summary: Phoenix • Participants demonstrated an increase in factual knowledge. • Participants felt that they had a better knowledge of: • How a case moves through the housing system, • How to collaborate effectively, • The role of workers in other systems, • Ways in which they can collaborate, and • The mission and values of the other system. • Majority of open-ended responses were positive • Qualitative data suggest that participants gained a better understanding of the other system and were provided with valuable networking opportunities and resources.

14. Summary: Chicago • Participants demonstrated an increase in factual knowledge. • Participants felt that they had increased their: • Knowledge of how a case moves through the CPS system, • knowledge of how a case moves through the housing system, • resources available for case planning, • knowledge on collaborating effectively, • skills needed to collaborate effectively, • knowledge of the role of workers in other systems, and • awareness of ways in which they can collaborate. • Majority of open-ended responses were positive. • Qualitative data suggest that participants gained a better understanding of the other system and were provided with valuable networking and collaboration opportunities.

15. Conclusions from Pilots • Both sites evidenced statistically-significant positive gains in several areas after completion of the curriculum. • Knowledge of the curriculum. • Attitudes. • Self reported understanding and willingness to collaborate. • Self-reported understanding of other system.

16. Conclusions from Pilots • A majority of indicators showed positive change, but not to a statistically significant level. • None of the indicators showed negative change to a statistically significant level. • Very few showed any negative movement, and those that did show negative movement did not reach statistical significance.

17. Conclusions from Pilots • The evaluation suggests that worker curriculum is effective in attaining several of intended competencies. • Remaining competencies were either not measured by evaluation or had inconclusive results (no statistical significance).

18. Summary: District of Columbia Supervisors Increase in # of positive responses between pre- and post- test [strongly disagree, disagree, agree, strongly agree] Increase in intensity of positive responses [agree and strongly agree] Increase in knowledge of organizational structure of other system and how a case moves through other system

19. Summary: District of Columbia Supervisors • Only decrease was possession of “knowledge I need to support & mentor my workers as they collaborate with workers in other system. Two possible explanations – • With increased awareness of collaboration complexities, there is increased understanding that there is much more to learn. • Without formal endorsement of administrator, the provision of support to workers is more challenging.

20. Views, Experiences and Comments Shared by KFTS Participants • “We need to know what warrants a CPS investigation. I have called CPS several times on a family in our shelter and they never come out to investigate.” -Shelter Worker • “I need to know the process for getting a family into housing – how do they get Section 8? What is the eligibility criteria?” -CPS Worker • “I would just like CPS to follow up and respect my concerns. A timely response would be appreciated.” -Shelter Worker • “What are the shelter discharge policies? I have had families kicked out and I never understood why.” -CPS Worker

21. Where to Find the KFTS Frontline Curriculum http://www.cwla.org/programs/childprotection/childprotectionhousing.htm

22. Building a Partnership/Collaboration Identifying Potential Partners - - A Tiered Approach • Getting Started: Administrators/Management of Child Welfare Agency Housing Authority Local Shelters and Housing Transitional Programs • Establishing a Foundation: Supervisors and Frontline Staff of Child Welfare Agency Housing Authority Local Shelters and Housing Transitional Programs AND Family/Consumer representatives • Implementing the Partnership Staff of Child Welfare Agency Housing Authority Local Shelters and Housing Transitional Programs Mental Health providers Faith-based service providers Private, non-profit child serving agencies that provide related services AND Family/Consumer representatives **(Source, KFTS Admininstrators Guide)

23. Benefits of Partnerships & Collaborations Cross System Dialogue  More Effective Communication  Improved Services for Families  Decreased Homelessness for Families

24. Contact Information Roxana Torrico 202-639-4908 rtorrico@cwla.org Caren Kaplan 202-662-4295 ckaplan@cwla.org CWLA 440 First St., NW, 3rd Floor Washington, DC 20001 http://www.cwla.org