Housing and Services for Families At any given time, House of Ruth is helping 75 families, each comprised of a mother and her children, overcome homelessness and abuse. For 61 families, House of Ruth is home. They live at our six service-enriched housing programs: Herspace, Hope Rising, Freedom Place, A New Way, Reunified Families and Three Sisters. Fourteen families are able to manage more independently in rent-subsidized apartments because they can rely on the supports and services provided by our FamilySpace program. The housing, structure, and connections to other programs and services in the community that House of Ruth provides are all valuable. But most important is the relationship that the staff forges with each individual. By building a positive, nurturing relationship with each woman and child, the staff is able to encourage and persuade them to abandon destructive behaviors and learn and adopt safe and healthy behaviors instead. It is challenging, painstaking and deeply rewarding work. Mondays through Fridays, the women are busy with treatment programs, job training, or employment, while the children attend day care or school. Two or three evenings each week are set aside for structured supportive groups to help the women and children address their challenges and build critical skills. Staff is on-site 24/7 at the six residential programs and reaches out to every woman and child every day to provide support and encouragement as they do the hard work of rebuilding their lives. Tanya's Family Tanya and her two boys joined one of House of Ruth's programs providing long-term services and supports to families. Tanya overcame her addiction and has now been drug-free for more than three years. In fact, she has risen to a leadership position within her addiction recovery program in the community. While at House of Ruth, Tanya studied for and completed her G.E.D. and found work as a cashier at a grocery store. The salary and health benefits are adequate, but Tanya aspires to more. She wants a job that will provide better opportunities for advancement and a more flexible working schedule, so she can spend more time with her sons. Her case manager is helping her explore career and training opportunities. A major focus of her time with the staff is on continuing to strengthen Tanya's relationship with her sons and increase her knowledge and use of positive, effective parenting methods. The boys are 10 and 15 now. The normal challenges of growing up are even tougher for these children, given mom's addiction and their learning disabilities. Tanya and her boys have made tremendous progress in the last three years. She is determined to provide a safe and stable life for her children. Results House of Ruth sets outcomes for each program to measure the progress the women and children are making toward safety, stability and self-sufficiency. Data is collected and compiled into reports every six months for review by management to ensure that programs are having the intended effects and to identify opportunities to improve. In addition, the progress that each woman makes toward the many milestones that lead to stability and independence is carefully monitored. For example, a woman's sobriety is verified by clean toxicology screens; her emotional stability is monitored according to reports from therapists and psychiatrists; positive parent-child interactions are reported according to written staff observations; and abuse-free relationships are verified through written notes from counseling sessions. The children's progress toward their individualized goals is also monitored. Examples of the outcomes at the families programs for the most recent six-month interval include:
• At Hope Rising, 91% of the children learned and demonstrated healthy coping skills and maintained mental stability. • At Three Sisters, 80% of the women completed parental responsibilities (ensured timely vaccinations, medical and dental care, secured health insurance, ensured school attendance, used appropriate discipline, provided nurturance.) • At Reunified Families, 85% of the children served six months or longer achieved at least 66% of their individualized goals (assessments, summer camps, day care, community involvement, academic stability). • At FamilySpace, 85% of the adults served provided an organized, uncluttered and clean home for their children’s physical, emotional and mental well-being. • At Herspace, 85% of the families served for two months moved into safe, appropriate housing. • At A New Way, which opened in December, 2008, it is too soon to report results.
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