The FAMCare Blog

Larry Breitenstein, PhD, chair of the social work department at Slippery Rock University, remembers child protection work in Kentucky in the early '70s. "I used to carry extra canned food in my car, just in case. Almost half my families needed help with food. Food stamps were new and food banks were scarce. We had petty cash for food, but it was never enough. I almost always bought food because I never knew when I was going to find a starving kid."

We recently overheard two nine-year-olds discussing a Thanksgiving food bank ad they happened to be watching on T.V.

NYO#1 “Look at all those turkeys. Who gets them all?"

NYO#2 "Hungry children in China."

NYO#1 "Do they have Thanksgiving in China?"

NYO#2 "I guess so. They must, or they wouldn't need so many turkeys."

NYO#1 "Wow. They sure have a lot of hungry people."

NYO#2 "Yup. They do. Everybody in China is hungry."

Every now and then this blog takes a close-up of the work an individual agency is doing. This week we would like to profile Starting Over, Inc. a small Los Angeles agency dedicated to helping individuals who have fallen by the wayside and are trying to reenter the mainstream of normal life. Starting Over Inc. is dedicated to helping Southern California's most vulnerable by addressing homelessness, recidivism, and reentry. Although providing transitional housing is an important part of their service, over time the program has evolved a seven-part service model that seeks to address the complex of conditions that hinder a successful reentry into the mainstream.

An estimated 4.2 million teenagers and young adults are homeless each year. Children who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless have higher rates of mental health problems such as behavioral issues, anxiety, and depression than children who live in unstable households.
The importance of mental health in programs for homeless young people cannot be overstated. Furthermore, most people's willingness to seek therapy is limited by a lack of access to mental health care. For organizations and services that work with at-risk youth, emphasizing mental health is critical to long-term sustainability.

Case workers involved in health and human services are in a unique position to be aware of families in the communities struggling to make ends meet. 

On any given night, approximately 553,742 people in the United States are homeless, according to national data. And around 38,000 of these are veterans. This means that veterans account for approximately 8% of the total homeless population.

This is a sad state of affairs, given that these people have spent a significant portion of their lives serving the country, only to find themselves homeless on the same country's streets.

Men, women, and people of all races and backgrounds are among the homeless veterans who have given their best year to this country. So, why are they homeless during their most vulnerable years?

This site is dedicated to educating readers about the homeless community, as well as the triumphs and challenges encountered by those who are committed to helping them. Government organizations and nonprofits are working hard to create solutions for this vulnerable group. Case management software with a focus on homelessness can aid in making the process of finding a solution more manageable by giving organizations the tools they need to coordinate and speed up the various services and activities aimed at eliminating homelessness. The following are a few benefits for organizations who decide to invest in case management software that focuses on homelessness.

Homelessness is not one of the first things that comes to mind when people think of America. However, the National Alliance to End Homelessness estimates that over 500,000 people are currently homeless in the United States. One of the most significant factors contributing to homelessness is a lack of affordable housing. Individuals, families, and especially children attempting to obtain an education may suffer as a result of this.

In the normal course of business, this blog researches and reports the issues that are having an impact on the world of social services. However, when journalists at large are out in front on important stories we are eager to share their work here in our blog space. Today, we would like to summarize the reporting of New York Times journalists Michael Kimmelman and Lucy Tompkins on the life changing work in support of the homeless going on in the city of Houston.

The title of this blog is a testimony to the noble instincts that engender the highest aspirations of America's social services community. The Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 initially authorized the Health Care for the Homeless Program. (No one we polled in the past two weeks had any idea that healthcare was available to our homeless population.) In 1996, Congress combined the HCH Program with Community Health Centers, Migrant Health Centers, and Primary Care in Public Housing under the Consolidated Health Center Program. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) provided additional resources to expand services and delivery sites.