The 100 Families Initiative, which moves families from crisis to career, has officially launched in Yell County. Area service providers signed a Declaration of Participation to symbolize their commitment to the initiative, which is now in 18 Arkansas counties.
Stacey Daughtrey, Executive Director of the Dardanelle Area Chamber of Commerce, spoke about the importance of connecting service providers in the community in an effective way to better serve families in crisis with all of their needs. She said since a single service provider can not serve all of a family's needs alone, stronger connections between service providers are essential to making progress.
"Nobody wants to be hungry. Nobody wants to be sitting on the side of the road needing help. With stronger connections between all of us, we’ll know who to call to get help," said Daughtrey. "I see how valuable everyone in this room is. Together we can do so much."
Service providers who were present included Youth Villages, the Arkansas River Valley Adult Learning Alliance, River Valley Child Advocacy Center, Ozark Rape Crisis Center, Universal Housing Development, Harbor House, and Hometown Health.
The 100 Families Initiative is built on a model developed by Restore Hope, an Arkansas-based nonprofit. It uses case management software called HopeHub. The technology allows service providers to communicate quickly and efficiently about a family's specific needs—like food, housing, transportation, or mental health services. With HopeHub, providers can make referrals, share data, and track a family's progress, helping communities better understand their successes and challenges.
The software tracks outcomes for families who are served, using key indicators of health and stability. It also meets privacy requirements for communicating sensitive information, including healthcare details.
Service providers participating in the 100 Families Initiative will be trained on the HopeHub system. They will become part of an alliance that will meet every month to discuss issues in the community.
Restore Hope's Executive Director Paul Chapman compares the 100 Families Initiative to trying to build a house.
Building a house, he says, requires people who specialize in certain areas -like plumbing, roofing, and electrical - to come together to complete the whole project. He likened the HopeHub software to the general contractor who brings it all together.
"We have to solve the logistical problems so we can know who does what and how to get access to those resources," explained Chapman. "If we can just figure out how to sequence our help and communicate, we are all going to be much more efficient and a person in crisis will have a much better chance."
Jeff Piker, the 100 Families Initiative Coordinator for Pope and Yell Counties, emphasized the powerful impact that a community can have when it comes together. He spoke about the flood that devastated the Dardanelle area five years ago. Many residents filled sand bags to try to reduce flood damage and, with everyone's contribution, tremendous progress was made.
The model for the 100 Families Initiative began in Arkansas but has recently expanded into Michigan and Canada. In the past 12 months, the initiative has served 2,971 families.
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