At a press conference today, leaders from Michigan and Canada explained why they are bringing an Arkansas model for helping families in crisis to their communities. The event was held at Ouachita Behavioral Health and Wellness in Hot Springs.
The 100 Families Initiative was developed five years ago by the Arkansas-based nonprofit Restore Hope and has been implemented in sixteen Arkansas counties. As part of the initiative, communities are provided with software, called HopeHub, that connects service providers in one place to serve a family holistically.
Because no single organization can help a family in crisis with all of their needs — like food, housing, child care, or transportation — the software allows providers to communicate efficiently about the various needs of a family and develop a care team to serve them. As a result, service providers are not working in silos and services are not being duplicated.
“100 Families is not a difficult choice to make for our community. We might be located in a different country, but we are faced with quite similar crises,” said Lisa Watson of Odyssey House, a nonprofit that serves victims of domestic violence in Grande Prairie, Canada. “We can't be a one-stop shop with just sheltering and emergency support. Our services are really extended way far beyond what we do on a day-to-day basis and engage our community agencies.”
“My community of Lansing, Michigan, needs 100 Families. My goal is to start in Lansing and then to expand to the whole state of Michigan,” said Dr. Eleanore Kue, who has practiced medicine in Lansing for 15 years.
“I opened a clinic in the inner city of Lansing taking care of people struggling with mental health and drug addiction. And I have seen more than 10,000 people coming to the clinic. I came to the conclusion that my patients, yes, they need mental health. Yes, they need physical health. They are struggling with drug addiction. But they need more than that. They are also struggling with housing. They need food. They need transportation. The children are in the foster care system. They need a holistic approach. And this is what 100 Families is all about. I heard about this initiative and I just got excited.”
Dr. Kue said the rate of unemployment in Lansing is three times that of the state of Michigan. She added that cities in Michigan like Detroit and Flint could also benefit.
Susan Smith, Chief Operating Officer of Ouachita Behavioral Health and Wellness in Hot Springs, said she is excited to watch the 100 Families Initiative grow. “When we first partnered with Restore Hope and started our 100 Families [initiative] in Garland County, we knew it was going to be big. But we didn't know it would be this big, this fast."
“Crisis to career. What an outstanding model. And HopeHub is very active with case management opportunities and all the resources that are available,” said Hot Springs Mayor Pat McCabe.
At the press conference, Restore Hope Associate Director of Community Development Karen Phillips demonstrated the HopeHub software and its ability to connect service providers and track outcomes for families being served based on metrics for key indicators of health.
The full press conference can be viewed below:
Smart Justice is a magazine, podcast, and continuing news coverage from the nonprofit Restore Hope and covers the pursuit of better outcomes on justice system-related issues, such as child welfare, incarceration, and juvenile justice. Our coverage is solutions-oriented, focusing on the innovative ways in which communities are solving issues and the lessons that have been learned as a result of successes and challenges.
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