Access to Recovery Program (SAMHSA)
Urban Strategies has a long history of providing culturally appropriate training and technical assistance (T/TA) to grassroots organizations serving disenfranchised communities. That’s why our team was selected as a T/TA contractor to equip Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Access to Recovery (ATR) grantees and providers with a variety of skills. Our approach included site visits, telephone conferencing, email coaching, workshop presentations, and the development of learning materials, all of which increased the participation of community and faith-based organizations (CFBOs) in ATR.
We specifically developed and conducted multiple recruitment strategies and provided TA and outreach to hundreds of CFBOs across five states. We also participated in a 30/60/90-day TA blitz strategy and conducted trainings to providers applying to the ATR network. Furthermore, we conducted multiple Built for Lasting Impact trainings, a three-day nonprofit capacity-building training for organizations that provide substance abuse recovery services in Texas and California.
Through this contract, we also developed two manuals: one titled Promising Practices of Engaging Faith-Based Service Providers, which details the processes and tools utilized with several ATR grantees to recruit, engage, and support faith-based and other non-traditional service providers in the recovery system of care. The second is titled Organizational and Informational Resource Manual, which serves as a step-by-step toolkit for nonprofit organizations.
Grass Roots Capacity Building
Urban Strategies designed, recruited partners, secured funding, launched, and managed training and technical assistance capacity-building initiatives working with community-based organizations serving the needs of youth and families in the Hispanic communities.
For example, our work in Los Angeles and San Antonio included program management, one-on-one technical assistance, curriculum development, event management, and sub-award processing of $1.5 million for the two phrases. Phase I was completed in 2007 with 27 organizations reporting expanded and enhanced services. Phase II was completed in September 2010 with organizations serving 3,800 additional participants.
Administration for Children and Families
In 2010 and 2011, Urban Strategies was tasked with developing outreach and engagement strategies to help ACF better connect with and mobilize grassroots community organizations to provide social services to our nation’s neediest families. One of our primary accomplishments under this contract was the execution of a two-day training workshop in five cities across the United States called “You’re Next: Accessing Federal Funding.” Meetings were attended by organizations serving Hispanic and other emerging populations and structured to provide training to enhance understanding of federal funding opportunities and guidelines.
Urban Strategies coordinated all aspects of these meetings, including logo and brand development, materials development, venue selection, marketing and promotion, registration, onsite logistics, training delivery, and participant feedback. We also produced video segments of each of the 12 workshop components.
National Alliance for Hispanic Families
Hispanics have become the nation’s largest ethnic minority at 38.8 million individuals, or 13% of the U.S. population. As the Hispanic community continues to grow, so do their unmet needs. To help bridge this gap, Urban Strategies launched a new coalition representing community and faith-based organizations serving Hispanic families.
During a 6-month design phase, we engaged 20 national Hispanic leaders in a strategic planning process that we followed with a national conference focused on strengthening Hispanic families. Since then, to increase awareness on Hispanic issues, we have delivered high-impact presentations to audiences that include the Harvard University’s School of Public Policy and the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute, among others.
To inform policy direction, we commissioned a series of research papers developed by Hispanic academicians and presented them to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. And to increase dialogue about healthy Hispanic families throughout the Hispanic community, Urban Strategies developed and implemented a communications strategy that engaged community-based organizations in 10 Town Halls throughout the country. We also developed and launched the HispanicFamily.org website and accompanying blog that shares information with more than 2,000 organizational leaders on Hispanic opportunities and news.
Family Bridges & Cresciendo Unidos
Urban Strategies developed, implemented, and provided varying levels of management for this dual-city initiative in Chicago and Phoenix that has reached more than 30,000 low-income Hispanics, of whom Brochure for Office of Head Start 2 approximately 25% are youth. These projects have mobilized an extensive network of community and faith-based organizations and have trained and certified 600 community leaders to provide family strengthening education.
The programs’ initial evaluation findings indicate that 36% of couples and 32% of individual participants reported an increase in their annual income; and 50% of couples receiving public assistance (e.g., WIC, food stamps, housing assistance) at the onset of the program are no longer on public assistance. Moreover, participants reported fewer stressors in their lives and are maintaining their learned relationship skills.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Since 2010, Urban Strategies has been working with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to help the agency engage with faith partners on national, regional, and local levels in preparation for the full implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
We began by conducting extensive communications research in order to develop a comprehensive engagement strategy and messaging approach. Phase two of the contract involves developing communications products to assist CMS in effectively connecting with the faith sector. Among these products are a train-the-trainer curriculum to equip CMS Regional Office staff to work with the faith community in a culturally relevant way, briefing papers describing seven faith traditions, and fact sheets highlighting key terms and engagement strategies for working with diverse segments of the faith community.
Head Start Healthy Marriage & Family Initiative
Since 2007, Urban Strategies has provided ongoing professional development training to all of Head Start’s HMFI grantees through coaching, mentoring, and onsite consultation to equip staff to engage with parents and families. Through this work, we deliver ongoing training and technology assistance to 24 Head Start/Early Head Start HMFI grantees across the country. The work incorporates strategic planning and program development tailored to each grantee’s unique program, ongoing progress monitoring, one-on-one consultation, event coordination, and program management.
To help grantees measure the success of their projects while building their evaluation capacity, we also facilitated a program assessment process that included the development of data collection tools and procedures to gather self-report data from over 8,000 program participants. As a part of our work, we also provide family strengthening training at regional and state Head Start conferences nationwide.
FuturoNow Family Strengthening Initiative
In 2006, Urban Strategies, in collaboration with TELACU (the nation’s largest community development corporation), launched the FuturoNow Family Strengthening Initiative. Targeting more than 25,000 low-income Hispanic residents in a four-county area of Southern California (Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange Counties), FuturoNow provides leadership, capacity building, and nationally recognized expertise in the delivery of family strengthening education programs. These supports, along with the partnerships of deeply connected community and faith-based organizations, create a singularly powerful, effective program.