Is There be a Happily Ever After? And What Would That Even Look Like?
Caroline McKinnon, JD | September 21 | 11:30 AM-12:30 PM | Room 2592
Topic: Programming | Knowledge Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Street’s Hope will present a comprehensive overview of the needs and characteristics of adult women who have experienced sexual exploitation. As a service provider for over 10 years, Street’s Hope has learned some hard lessons about who their clients really are and what they really need. Some of these lessons can be found in the data they collect, the direct feedback they receive from clients, and some can be found by simply looking around at the state of our communities and cities. This workshop will address how Street’s Hope’s unique evidence-based, survivor-informed program model continually asks questions, and works to answers those questions. Over the last year, Street’s Hope has asked the following questions as it has re-developed, re-focused and refined its mission and service delivery. What are the real problems that face women leaving programs like ours? Is an extended focus on trauma recovery helpful? How do we build the community support that can provide the network of care that these women require to manage addiction, complex interpersonal relationships and the need to find stable housing and work, outside the life? Why do service providers struggle to stay in business when the need is so high? Why do many service providers have unfilled beds? What is the appropriate staffing model for a residential program? How do you set the right boundaries for volunteers or other unpaid staff?
Presentation Objectives:
· Describe an evidence-based, survivor-informed program service model and staffing model.
· Depict the needs faced when leaving a program and how Street’s Hope attempts to address these needs.
· Discuss what additional services need to be in place in order to assist survivors with long-term success.