Why Housing Matters for Family Recovery, Stability, and Public Safety

Overview

March 12, 2020 

This Café Conversation highlights practical approaches and promising practices to help family treatment court (FTC) practitioners address housing instability for families affected by substance use disorders (SUDs).  A stable, safe, affordable home is at the base of recovery and enhance public safety by minimizing the risk of parental involvement in the criminal justice system.  Families must have a home in order to engage in treatment, employment, education and other activities so they can achieve stable recovery to care for themselves and their families.  Viewers learn how various communities are forging essential partnerships to meet this critical need. 

A 30-minute video presentation and a team discussion guide are available for FTC practitioners to view and engage in discussion together. Additionally, there is a facilitated discussion with a set of panelists who share experiences and expertise in overcoming housing barriers. A Take Action Guide is provided to equip attendees with important next steps to translate learning into practice. (Put in information about the conversation and resources available here) 

Panelists/Presenters:

  • Kirstin Frescoln, Senior Program Associate, Children and Family Futures
  • Ruth Anne White, Executive Director, National Center for Housing and Child Welfare
  • Jocelyn Chaney-Gainers, Executive Director, Family Recovery Program (Baltimore, MD)
  • Caitlyn Malone, Family Treatment Court Coordinator (Cuthbert, GA) 

Learning Objectives:

1. Highlight key principles and best practice strategies on connecting families affected by parental SUDs to stable and supportive housing

2. Learning from leaders from the national and local level on how they advocate for the housing needs of families 

3. Identify key next steps for FTC teams to partner with families and the community to solve this essential need 

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Learning Opportunities

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FEATURED PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES 

Through federally- and foundation-funded projects, Children and Family Futures and its small business subsidiary, Center for Children and Family Futures, produces publications, reports, Technical Assistance tools and web-based learning for the field. The following are featured resources from our work. For more resources or information related to a specific topic, please visit our resources page or click the “Request Assistance” button below or at the top of the page.