Community Crisis Services And Food Bank

COMMUNITY CRISIS SERVICES PROPOSAL FOR THE DISASTER DISTRESS HELPLINE - COMMUNITY CRISIS SERVICES PROPOSES TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN A NATIONAL, 24/7/365 DISASTER DISTRESS HELPLINE (DDH) TO PROVIDE IMMEDIATE EMOTIONAL SUPPORT AND CONNECTION TO RESOURCES FOR INDIVIDUALS IMPACTED BY NATURAL DISASTERS, PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES, AND MASS VIOLENCE EVENTS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND U.S. TERRITORIES. AS DISASTERS CONTINUE TO INCREASE IN FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY, MORE INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES ARE EXPERIENCING EMOTIONAL DISTRESS WHILE TRYING TO NAVIGATE DISRUPTED SYSTEMS AND OVERWHELMED RECOVERY RESOURCES. BECAUSE DISASTERS CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE AND OFTEN INTERRUPT THE SUPPORT PEOPLE RELY ON MOST, DDH WILL PROVIDE A TRUSTED AND ACCESSIBLE PLACE FOR ANYONE IMPACTED BY A DISASTER, PARTICULARLY THOSE EXPERIENCING GREATER VULNERABILITY OR BARRIERS TO CARE. COMMUNITY BRINGS SUBSTANTIAL EXPERIENCE RESPONDING TO PERIODS OF HEIGHTENED NATIONAL DISTRESS, INCLUDING PREVIOUSLY SERVING AS A NATIONAL DDH PROVIDER DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. COMMUNITY ANTICIPATES TRAINING APPROXIMATELY 26 FTE OF DDH STAFF AT PROJECT LAUNCH, INCLUDING COUNSELORS, SUPERVISORS, AND KEY PERSONNEL RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERSIGHT OF SERVICES. STAFF WILL COMPLETE AN INITIAL TWO-WEEK INTERACTIVE TRAINING FOCUSED ON CRISIS COUNSELING SKILLS, INCLUDING PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID (PFA), JUST-IN-TIME TRAINING, AND ALL SAMHSA-REQUIRED TRAINING. THROUGHOUT THE FIVE-YEAR PROJECT PERIOD, STAFF WILL PARTICIPATE IN ONGOING CONTINUING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES, SUCH AS IN-SERVICE PRESENTATIONS AND ADDITIONAL DISASTER-SPECIFIC RESOURCE ALERTS. PROJECT GOALS FOCUS ON ENSURING UNINTERRUPTED NATIONAL ACCESS TO DISASTER-SPECIFIC CRISIS COUNSELING; REDUCING DISASTER-RELATED EMOTIONAL DISTRESS AND IMPROVING COPING AND RESILIENCE; IMPROVING ACCESS TO DISASTER-RELATED RESOURCES; AND INCREASING ENGAGEMENT WITH DISASTER-AFFECTED COMMUNITIES AND REFERRAL PARTNERS. COMMUNITY WILL ESTABLISH FULL DDH OPERATIONS WITHIN TWO MONTHS OF AWARD AND MAINTAIN AT LEAST 99% ANNUAL SERVICE AVAILABILITY THROUGH THE PROJECT PERIOD. DDH WILL REDUCE BARRIERS TO SUPPORT THROUGH MULTILINGUAL SUPPORTS, INTERPRETATION SERVICES, AND ASL VIDEOPHONE ACCESS. COUNSELORS WILL RECEIVE SPECIALIZED DISASTER BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TRAINING AND ONGOING QUALITY REVIEW TO ENSURE HIGH STANDARDS OF CARE AND CONSISTENT USE OF EVIDENCE-INFORMED APPROACHES. THESE WILL INCLUDE PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID AND SAMHSA DTAC GUIDANCE. PROJECT EVALUATION WILL EXAMINE WHETHER HELP-SEEKERS REPORT FEELING SUPPORTED, BETTER ABLE TO COPE, AND SUCCESSFULLY CONNECTED TO DISASTER-RELATED RESOURCES AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES FOLLOWING CONTACT WITH DDH. COMMUNITY WILL ALSO STRENGTHEN AWARENESS OF DDH THROUGH DISASTER-READY OUTREACH MATERIALS AND PARTNERSHIPS WITH DISASTER RESPONSE ORGANIZATIONS.

BASIC CENTER PROGRAM