Family Stabilization grant works to intervene early, decrease children in foster care
September 1, 2021
September 1, 2021
December 7, 2021
November 17, 2021
WASHINGTON — Lutheran Services in America, one of the largest health and human services nonprofits in the U.S., is expanding its national network of child welfare providers dedicated to empowering families in crisis and improving outcomes for children in foster care. Building on a successful Year 1, the Lutheran Services in America Results Network Year 2 recently launched with a group of 12 providers that are dedicated to addressing the systemic challenges that create disparate outcomes for children and families of color.
Lutheran Services in America and its national network of providers have a vision for all Americans regardless of age, race or ZIP code to achieve equitable outcomes. This vision drives its work to identify and implement systemic changes to ensure children of color, particularly Black, Latino and Native American children, can stay together with their families. The second year of the Results Network will implement new approaches to deepen understanding and address underlying issues at the local and national levels.
“The pandemic has significantly impacted families in crisis. The Results Network is an opportunity to respond to the unique challenges of families who face severe hardship using targeted strategies to close racial disparity gaps across the country,” said Charlotte Haberaecker, president and CEO of Lutheran Services in America.
Year 2 of the Results Network builds on the significant results from the cohort’s first year. Teams from 12 Lutheran Services in America organizations that serve more than 9,000 children examined programs unique in their community and shared data, resources and collective wisdom to address racial disparities and empower families. The following are examples of the results these 12 organizations achieved by working together through this collaboration:
“Race equity work is integral to our work,” said Beverly Jones, vice president and chief operating officer at Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois. “The Results Network provides the context for refining our efforts to focus on population level results to improve systems-wide issues, allowing all children to thrive. LCFS of Illinois is excited to continue our participation in Year 2.”
The second year of the Results Network will run through June 2022. Year 2’s participants include representatives from 12 leading organizations across the country: Gemma Services, Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois, Lutheran Child and Family Services of Indiana/Kentucky, Lutheran Services in Iowa, Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, Lutheran Social Services of New York, Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota, Lutheran Social Services of the Virgin Islands, Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, Plymouth Christian Youth Center, and Wellspring Lutheran Services.
The Results Network is one of three Lutheran Services in America initiatives under the organization’s Results Innovation Lab, which has a goal to dramatically improving the life trajectory of 20,000 vulnerable children in America by 2024.
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About Lutheran Services in America
Lutheran Services in America is the network of 300 Lutheran health and human services organizations that works with more than 1 in 50 Americans each year. Recognized by The Chronicle of Philanthropy and Forbes as one of the nation’s largest nonprofits, the network operates with more than $22 billion in combined annual revenues. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Lutheran Services in America leads groundbreaking programs in partnership with philanthropy, academia, healthcare providers and others to empower Americans to lead their best lives. To learn more, visit www.lutheranservices.org.
October 1, 2021
September 3, 2021
August 20, 2021
Lutheran Services in America CYF members,
If you have any questions, would like to be added to the CYF Update mailing list, or have recommendations for future webinars, please contact Paula R. Young at pyoung@lutheranservices.org.
To view all previous issues of our CYF Update newsletters, prior webinars on a wide variety of EBPs and other topics, Family First Act resources, and more, please visit our CYF members-only resource page. Contact pyoung@lutheranservices.org for the login and password.
Our member Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area is playing a leading role in welcoming our Afghan allies to our community. Find out how you can offer immediate aid, here. Also, consider volunteering for our national resettlement partner LIRS.
Lutheran Services in America is excited for the opportunity to partner with four of our social service ministries in efforts to prevent families from experiencing the foster care system. The Family Stabilization Initiative is a unique opportunity because it provides funding to implement evidence-based wraparound programs while, at the same time, building organizational capacity and peer support. Learn more here.
Did you know as an LSA member you have discounted services at Purdue Global University? Learn more about the education benefits for partner employees and attend the short Open House to learn more about the programs and classes available to you and your staff.
Register here
Date: Tuesday, September, 14, 2021 8:00pm – 8:30pm EST
Registration for CEO Summit 2022: A Future Reimagined will open in early September. CEO Summit, which will be held in person in Tampa, Florida, January 23–26, will explore how leaders are reimagining the health and human services sector and guiding their organizations, partners, and key stakeholders in the post-pandemic world. Look out for an official announcement shortly after Labor Day.Advocacy and Legislative Updates
The Federal Reserve launched a survey to measure the impact of COVID-19 on nonprofits and the communities in which they serve. The survey focuses on low- to moderate-income communities where median family income falls as low as 50 percent less than the median income of the area. The results of the survey will help inform decisionmakers in multiple sectors and guide their response in supporting nonprofits and communities through the pandemic. We encourage you to share feedback before the survey closes on August 27 to help represent your community’s experience.
On August 10, the Senate completed its consideration of the $550 billion “traditional infrastructure” legislation which a bipartisan group of Senators negotiated for weeks, passing the bill on a bipartisan vote of 69 to 30. The final version totaled $29 billion lower than the version originally negotiated in June. Senators next turned their attention to the budget resolution, passing the bill on August 11 through a party-line vote of 50 to 49, as expected, and then adjourning for the August recess. The resolution contains topline dollar figures and instructions for the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package to follow. That bill will enact many of the “human infrastructure” provisions included in President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan, including the proposed expansion of Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) with $400 billion in funding.
Under the reconciliation procedure, the success of the vote depends on the support of all 50 Senate Democrats. Because Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) continue to state that they will not support the package at its current cost, negotiations continue on the content of the package. While both chambers have said they will wait until the fall for final votes on that bill, the House, which had already adjourned for its August recess, will now return on Monday in order to vote on the budget resolution.
However, a group of at least 11 moderate Democrats have announced that they won’t support the budget resolution without an immediate vote on the infrastructure package, which Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has said she has no plans to schedule for this coming week. Given that Republicans are expected to unanimously oppose the budget resolution, Democrats can afford to lose only 3 votes and still pass the measure, so Democratic leaders continue efforts to persuade moderates to support it.
Lutheran Services in America continues to advocate for the inclusion of key provisions of the President’s proposals in the reconciliation package, particularly the $400 billion home and community-based services (HCBS) investment (which is outlined in the Better Care Better Jobs Act, S. 2210/H.R. 4131) and a provision for $213 billion for affordable housing and homelessness services, and is urging the inclusion of the WORK NOW Act legislation (S. 740) to provide nonprofit health and human services organizations funding to pay wages, salaries, and benefits to retain staff and meet services’ demand. Please join us in this effort through our advocacy alert calling for inclusion of these key initiatives in the package.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families are teaming up for a two-part webinar series on what the end of the PHE means for Medicaid eligibility and enrollment and how health advocates can contribute to their state’s planning process and monitor implementation. State health advocates will share their experience in providing input to the state’s planning process and highlight proactive ways to ensure that eligible children, families, and individuals don’t lose coverage at the end of the PHE.
Date: Wednesday, September 8, 2021 2:00 – 3:00pm ET
Register here.
This is a webinar for providers that support the work of Youth Advisory Boards and youth board members. As a young person who has experienced and overcome homelessness, policymakers should be listening to your recommendations about how policies and systems should change. Youth can change systems so that fewer young people experience homelessness and more young people who experience homelessness are served appropriately and quickly.
Date: Thursday, September 9, 2021, 3:00pm EST
Register here.
Sponsored by the Capacity Building Center for States and the Children’s Bureau, the theme of this year’s Child Welfare Virtual Expo (CWVE) is advancing racial equity in child welfare. This important topic will address the racism and bias that continue to create disproportional representation in the child welfare system and disparities in outcomes for Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and other children, youth, and families of color.
Date: Thursday, September 23, 2021 10:00am – 5:00pm ET
Register here.
Promoting the Health and Well-Being of Children in Immigrant Families in the Post-Pandemic Economic Recovery Efforts was a workshop jointly hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Forum for Children’s Well-Being and the Brandeis University Institute for Child, Youth, and Family Policy. This report explored the research evidence on the access immigrant families have to U.S. social programs and its effects on children’s mental, emotional, behavioral, and physical well-being. Learn more here.
Cara Baldari, of First Focus Campaign for Children reflects on TANF and share their assessment of needed structural reforms to further support children living in poverty. Read more here.
A Joint Report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association: Summary of Publicly Reported Data from 49 states, NYC, DC, PR, and GU. State-level reports are the best publicly available data on COVID-19 cases in children. Starting in June 2021, some states reported less frequently and dropped metrics previously reported as overall cases decreased. This report summarizes what was available on 8/5/21. Read more here.
A pair of senators have proposed legislation that would enable states to draw Medicaid funding for foster youth living in certain residential treatment programs, a rare exception to the rules barring Medicaid funding for institutional care. The bill, introduced this week by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.), is sure to spark a sharp discussion on Capitol Hill as most states prepare for the Family First Prevention Services Act’s limits on congregate care funding to take effect. Learn more here.
Child Safety Forward just released a brief highlighting the evaluation results of its initial planning year, which allowed sites to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Child Safety Forward initiative was launched in October of 2019 with a goal of reducing child abuse and neglect fatalities and injuries through a collaborative, community-based approach. Read more here.
A concept some have been pushing for decades has suddenly become a centerpiece of the child welfare debate: Family policing agencies routinely confuse poverty with neglect. It follows, therefore, that an enormous amount of what we call “child maltreatment” can be solved through a two-step process. 1. Find the poor people. 2. Send money. Read more here.
Throughout our nation we are faced with many health inequities. Health outcomes for people living in vulnerable communities, and already disproportionately impacted by social determinants of health (SDOH), are at an even greater health risk. SDOH are the economic and social conditions that influence individual and group differences in health status. Medline is committed to social determinants of health and through the Community Impact Grant Program we can promote good health for all people. Medline is investing resources to help non-profit organizations address prevalent health challenges, stimulate health equity and improve population health in under-resourced areas. We will award results-focused grants that offer community- centered solutions and immediate impact. Through collaboration with community experts, we can provide essential resources, re-direct adverse outcomes and improve the well-being of people. This is, and always will be, our ongoing commitment to communities. Individual grants are capped at $25,000. Grant Recipients will be announced in October 2021. Learn more here.
Deadline: August 27, 2021
Funding for non-profit or governmental entities to provide no-cost legal assistance to low-income tenants at risk of or subject to eviction in areas with high rates of evictions or prospective evictions, including rural areas. Find more information here.
Closing date: September 8, 2021
The Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts is offering grants for projects to develop, adapt, and/or evaluate promising evidence-based models of family and community based prevention for opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose for children and families, especially those at highest risk. Informational webinar: Aug. 11, 2021, 2:00 p.m. EDT. Register here. Find more information here.
Closing date: September 21, 2021
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June 25, 2021
June 17, 2021
Following the decision of the United States Supreme Court to dismiss the California v. Texas lawsuit which could have fully overturned the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Lutheran Services in America President and CEO Charlotte Haberaecker emphasizes the national network’s support for ensuring that all Americans have access to affordable, quality health care – regardless of their income, race, gender, faith or ZIP code.
“While the ACA is not perfect, the protections it has instituted for underserved groups have greatly increased their ability to access much-needed health care especially important during the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency. At this vital time, given our longtime commitment as a faith-based organization to meeting the health and human services needs of all people, we are pleased to see protections for these populations preserved in federal law.
“Every day, Lutheran Services in America’s 300 health and human services member organizations serve one in 50 Americans ranging from older adults and children, youth and families, to people with disabilities, veterans, and people of all ages experiencing homelessness. All of these people are better served by legal provisions that make obtaining and maintaining quality, accessible, and equitable health care coverage easier – including Medicaid coverage expansion, the elimination of pre-existing condition exclusions, and the prohibition of discrimination based on health status. We encourage lawmakers and the Administration to commit to doing even more to protect the health of all Americans.”
For further information, contact Christopher Findlay at (202) 499-5833 or cfindlay@lutheranservices.org, or Sarah Dobson at (202) 499-5832 or sdobson@lutheranservices.org.
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