2013 annual gathering, food insecurity institute: food as entry point to services

7/27/2019 2013 Annual Gathering, Food Insecurity Institute: Food as Entry Point to Services

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Food as an Entry Point to

Services

Using the Strengths Based Approach

to Connect Families at the CorningFamily Resource Center


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A presentation by:

Camilla Delsid-Wrfel

Director, Tehama County

220 Sycamore St., Ste. 101

Red Bluff, CA 96080

96080

http://www.nvcss.org
http://www.nvcss.org/http://www.nvcss.org/http://www.nvcss.org/


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Who we are

Family Resource Center in the Wild West (ruralCorning, Northern California)

Poverty rate in our county is at 22%

40%+ Immigrants, many mixed status families Funded by Foundation, private and some county

dollars. Grants are constantly written (most arenot funded but we try anyways)

In 2012 the center served around 6,000 with abroad spectrum of family strengthening services.


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Poverty

Families and persons that come to us are

usually deeply desperate. They are on a freefall without a safety net that catches them.

Many have lived in poverty for so long that

they feel debilitated and have lost their

capacity for action and motivation. Lost hope.


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Sooo what do we do?

We dont do it alone.

When most of our funding was lost in 2009

our choice was to either close our doors or

find allies and champions.

We already had a family strengthening system

in place that was working and that we wanted

to continue and build upon.


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Partners and Allies

As a small Family Resource Center, we wereoverwhelmed with the ravages of rural povertyand we could not do much by ourselves.

At first we did what most agencies did. Weshowed families how to cut back, budget, re-use,save and repair but what families really neededwas a little bit more money, a little bit more food,a little bit more of everything.

We did not have the resources to provide thesethings so we went looking for partners.


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Partners and Champions

With the award of the Wal-Mart Grant everythingchanged. We were able to establish our Food ShareCoalition, which lead to partnerships with local foodbanks, churches, and other human service agencies.

The mission of Food Share is to connect and promotecommunity efforts in the awareness and elimination ofhunger and in getting food to families at no cost orvery cheaply via partner agencies and churches(utilizing our Food Van).

After that grant ended, Community Action Agency,Churches, Schools, Casino, other non-profits, continueto pitch in to keep our efforts going.


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Specifically.

Our FRC uses a four pronged tactic with familieswho come in for food all under the umbrella ofthe Strengths Based Approach:

1. Joint Leadership Team (JLT-community basednetwork we founded)

2. Family Academy (Community Based Network)

3. Emergency Intake Form

4. MATRIX (Strengths based case managementsystem that assists us and the family in achievableand measurable goals).


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Joint Leadership Team

In Corning, we formed a community based network,the Joint Leadership Team or JLT. This was a year-longeffort to get the Executive Directors of some of the bigplayers to the table (Head Start, Migrant Ed, School

District, First 5). This is a formal collaborative of committed local

partners whose goal it is to increase resources thatsupport family strengthening activities through asymbiotic vision, mission and sharing of resources that

build strong families (agency asset mapping todetermine what each agency can bring to the table,e.g. instructors, child care, transportation, facilities,etc.)


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Family Academy

Family Academy is another community basedcollaborative that we founded, rooted in thenotion that education is crucial in getting out ofpoverty.

The goal of the Family Academy is to provideparents with the tools and knowledge necessaryto become more involved in their childrens lives,at school and in the community.

Most of our classes are offered bilingually, inEnglish and Spanish, during the day and evening.Classes are free and childcare is provided duringall most classes.


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Family Academy

Classes are offered in the areas of:

1. Life skills and Basic Education

2. Navigating their childs school system/understanding testscores, etc.

2. Health related healthy lifestyles 3. Parent Education

4. ESL/CIVICS

5. Nutrition/Cooking

And in areas that are identified by the parents of ourParent Engagement group.

Each year we serve hundreds of unduplicated parents whoattend at least one of our classes.


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Calendar


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Calendar


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Wednesday, March 27thClasses from 2:45 to 3:15 p.m.

West Street Elementary School and Family Resource Center

For m ore informati on call: 824-7670

Family

Academy

Nurtured He art Parenting cl a ssInstructorJulie Ca rr, West Street Kindergarten Teacher

Room 1

Reading To gether LiteracyInstructorDawn Ma g allon, West Street 2nd GradeInstructorJennie Ca ylor, West Street Learning Ce nter

Room 6

Childhood H

e

alth IssuesInstructorJoanne Boone, Di st r ict Nu rse

Room 3

NutritionEat Healthy Be ActiveInstructorLia DiMillo-Gray, Family Re source Center Educator

Spanish l

a

nguage translation availableSupervised ch ildcare available on the playground

Room 5

Parents you are cordially invi ted to our fir st

Famil y Academy and choose from the followingclasses:

mircoles, 27 de marzo

Las sesiones son de las 2:45 hasta las 3:15 de la tarde

West Street Elementary School and Family Resource Center

Para ms informacin llame al: 824-7670

Academia par a los

padres de fami lia

Nurtured Heart Crianza d

e

los h

i

jos con cario, sin co nsecu enciasInstructoraJulie Ca rr, Maestra de Kinder de West Street

El salon 1

Leyendo todos juntosLecturaInstructoraDawn Magallon, Maestra de Segundo Grado de West StreetInstructoraJennie Ca ylor, Encargada del Centro de Aprendizaje de West

El saln 6

Temas de salud infantilInstructoraJoanne Bo o ne, Enferma de l Distrito Escolar

El saln 3

NutricionComer sano y mantngase activoInstructoraLia Di Millo-Gray, Maestra del Centro de Recursos pa ra Familias

Traduccin de ingls a espaol para cada taller

Habr c

u

i dado de nios en el patio de l

a

escuela

El saln 5

Convocatoria

Estimados Padr es de Fami lia,

Estn cordialmente i nvitados a la pri mera sesin de laAcademia para los Padr es de Fami li a. Favor de escoger

un t ema del cual deseara asistir de la lista:


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Process: 1 Step - Basic Intake Form

This form is an integrated family assessment tool forcase management and family outcomes evaluation:

1. Basic personal info

2. What services they are already receiving 3. What their most pressing needs are

4. Other info and data we collect for internal reasons.

5. It is client centered, meaning that we get the client

to talk about their lives using strengths based probingquestions.

5. This form ties into the MATRIX Outcomes model.


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Conversation

This form is the beginning of a conversation to

connect a family to an empowerment process

involving our agency, and some of the other

formal partners mentioned earlier (Food

Share partners, JLT partners).


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Process

The intakeworker is well familiar and well trained inthe Family Strengthening Principles.

Rooted in a collaborative, respectful focus on the basichuman rights, strengths, and resilience of families.

The worker can be AmeriCorps, volunteers, trainedfront desk staff, social worker, etc.

Depending on literacy levels and the willingness of theclient to share their information, this form can take 30minutes to 1.5 hours to go through, because it is aconversation and cannot be hurried along.


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SB Perspective Refresher

Evidence suggests that the strengths perspective is aconstructive approach to helping struggling families.Briefly, it focuses on what is right with people ratherthan on what is wrong.

It identifies, builds upon, and amplifies peoplesstrengths, resilience, and resources.

It sees challenges as an opportunity for growth.

The strengths perspective does not condone orsanction a persons poor life choices; rather, the

strengths perspective recognizes these as an attemptto cope and solve problems, although perhaps amisguided one, and seeks to help families find moresuitable behaviors and effective coping skills.


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Next Steps

Sometimes persons just want the food and geton with it so they go through the motions to getwhat they need immediately (Frequent Fliers).

In most cases though, families and individualslearn about the services that are available tothem and they agree to short-time casemanagement services (3-6 months).

We use the MATRIX, an online CaseManagement and Outcomes measurement toolthat measures 22 areas that we identified locally.


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Family Development Matrix

See Handout explains in detail how it is build

on the Strengths Based Perspective and

Theory of Change:


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Key

Red = In-Crisis

Reflects a family in survival mode.Resources are dangerouslyinadequate and the family doesnot have the will or the breathingroom to plan for the future. Afamily system may have collapsedor in immediate danger ofcollapse. Strong outsideintervention and programresources are often required tomove the family to at least theAt-risk and Stable levels.

Yellow = At Risk.The family is secure fromimmediate disaster, and withplanning and use of externalresources support can continue anupward trend. The family may besecure from immediate threats tohealth and safety, but has not yetdeveloped or committed to

strategies/plans for growth andchange. Continuing interventionand program support provides aplatform on which the family canbuild its plans for improvingcircumstances.


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Key

Purple = Stable. The family has

achieved a level where they can

begin to plan and to develop

internal resources. The family nolonger is in immediate danger, and is

ready and willing to change as

needed to be more secure. Planning

occurs for future growth and

development. Supportive services

are provided as needed to assist the

family in implementing their plans.

Green =Safe/Self-Sufficient

Indicates that a family is largely able

to address its own immediate needs

and to plan for the future. Long-

term maintenance of this level is a

goal. The family is generally secureas a result of its own efforts and has

a clear vision of its ultimate goals.

Intervention is resource-oriented as

needed and motivation is from

within the family.


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Key

Red = In CrisisYellow = At Risk

Purple = Stable

Green = Self-

Sufficient


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Key


Purple = Stable

Green = Self-

Sufficient


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Key


Purple = Stable

Green = Self-Sufficient


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We dont have all of the answers.

We rely on our like-minded partners who share theirresources with us and we with them.

We have been using the MATRIX for six years and seeexcellent results for families who stay with us for 6

months or more.

From their initial entry point for food to their exit wecan measure their strengths and challenges.

This is a powerful process for the families because theystart to see their strengths and they start to believe inthemselves and their abilities effecting social changefor themselves and their communities.


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Camilla Delsid-Wrfel

Director, Tehama County220 Sycamore St., Ste. 101

Red Bluff, CA 96080

96080

http://www.nvcss.org
http://www.nvcss.org/http://www.nvcss.org/http://www.nvcss.org/

2013 annual gathering, food insecurity institute: food as entry point to services

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