Social Work Commons^™

Factors Contributing To Recurrent Homelessness Among Single Mothers Using Shelters, Favour O. Akhidenor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Building on the long-term benefits of early homelessness prevention and intervention. And scaling up support for single parents with children is essential to improving economic status, good health, human capital, and well-being across all areas of life expectancy. Chronically homeless people, homeless veterans, and homeless families have all been the subject of specific studies. Yet only a few studies have investigated single mothers' return to homelessness (Anderson, 2021). Studies suggest that between 4 and 25 percent of women, who were previously homeless, end up using shelter services again, despite being provided with "permanent" housing (Johnson, 2016). This indicates that, as …

Lessons Learned From Maine’S Lifelong Communities Movement: Special Topics For Lifelong Communities, Jennifer Crittenden, Brandy Lachance

Maine Center on Aging Education and Training

The University of Maine Center on Aging in partnership with the Maine Community Foundation hosted a special learning and networking event specifically designed for lifelong communities (LC) initiatives. Such initiatives include age-friendly communities, village models, and independent lifelong community planning efforts. The event featured three panels on key topics related to LC initiatives. This publication is a report out of the day’s discussion and panels

Intergenerational Adult Day Services Needs Assessment Project Final Report, University Of Maine School Of Social Work, Eastern Area Agency On Aging, University Of Maine Center On Aging

Maine Center on Aging Research and Evaluation

Focus group research conducted in the Greater Bangor, Maine area in 2016 identified respite services and intergenerational programming as important factors for supporting a more livable community.

This report outlines findings from a 2018 needs assessment of adult day services (ADS), funded by Maine Health Access Foundation. The needs assessment utilized a survey of local caregivers (N=84) and key informant interviews (N=10) with staff at Maine adult day service programs or service providers that could utilize adult day services for their clients.

Key survey findings indicate that lack of financial resources (identified by 20% of the survey sample), and lack …

Dhhs Clinical Review Team Formation, Moriah Geer

Poster Presentations

Historically individuals with disabilities were sent to live in institutions, such as Pineland Center. As public opinion about institutionalization and individuals with disabilities began to change the state worked to create programs to allow individuals with disabilities to live in their own communities. These Home and Community Based Services are funded through Medicaid waiver programs such as section 21 and 29.

Policy Brief: Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act, The 2015-2016 Cohort Of New Hampshire Leadership Education In Neurodevelopmental And Related Disabilities (Nh Lend) Program Trainees.

Policy Analysis

The Lifespan Respite Care Act (PL 109-442) provides critical support for families caring for loved ones at home. Family caregivers in the United States provide an estimated $470 billion worth of uncompensated care—a figure that exceeds the total Medicaid budget for 2013 (NAC Task Force, 2016). According to the National Respite Coalition, access to respite care helps protect caregiver health, strengthens families, keeps marriages intact, and prevents the need for expensive institutional long-term care. Reauthorization of the Lifespan Respite Care Act is essential to the well-being of individuals in need of long-term care and their families affected by long-term health …

Redefining Transitional Justice In The North American Context? The Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth And Reconciliation Commission, Evan P. Centala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis argues that a transformative justice discourse needs to be adopted by the current field of transitional justice in order to account for the many developments in the field. Using the case of the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission, it presents the innovative approaches and unique context the Commission operates in, following a transformative methodology to affect fundamental social change through the political, economic, and social structures that allowed the violence and harm in question to pass. Distinguishing itself from a transitional context where regime change exists with an objective to establish democracy, this thesis suggests …

Combating Autism Reauthorization Act Of 2014, Kassandra Mores

Policy Analysis

On May 9, 2014, Representative Smith (R-NJ) and Representative Doyle (D-PA) introduced a bill to reauthorize the Combating Autism Act (H.R. 4631) for five years. Senator Menendez (D-NJ) and Senator Enzi (R-WY) are planning to introduce a Senate bill of the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act. The Combating Autism Act of 2011, due to sunset September 30, 2014, provides federal funding for autism research, public education, and early detection and intervention in Maine. We are hoping that you will consider voting in support of the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act.

Introduction To The Early Childhood Issue, Leslie A. Forstadt, Sheryl Peavey

Maine Policy Review

Guest editors Leslie Forstadt and Sheryl Peavey introduce the articles in this special issue of Maine Policy Review on early childhood by highlighting the myriad of programs and policies affecting Maine’s young children and their families. To illus­trate the challenges faced by parents, they present the fictional account of a young woman facing an unexpected pregnancy. The story illustrates the sometimes confusing array of services, programs, and funding for young children and their parents. The authors argue “it is time to make every door into the system of early childhood services the right door for every parent.”

Child Care And Work Challenges For Maine’S Parents Of Children With Special Needs, Helen D. Ward, Julie A. Atkins, Erin E. Oldham

Maine Policy Review

Research by the authors with parents, child care providers, and other service providers found that parents of children with special needs face particular challenges trying to maintain stable employment while balancing work and family. These parents have more difficulty finding and keeping child care for children with special needs, and there is a lack of coordination of therapy with child care programs. Since the study was completed, Maine has taken several steps to begin to address these issues

Parent Education:“Prepare The Child For The Path, Not The Path For The Child”, Candace J. Eaton

Maine Policy Review

Candace J. Eaton describes why parent education is important and discusses a number of parent-educa­tion approaches and programs that currently exist in Maine. She argues that we need to increase access to research-supported programs, parent-education classes, and support groups to all geographic areas of the state and all populations. In this era of reduced funding, Eaton recommends continuous evaluation of program outcomes and the limitation of funding to programs and approaches that show positive improvements.

The Aging Imperative In Maine: Present Realities And Future Prospects, Helen. B. Miltiades, Lenard W. Kaye

Maine Policy Review

Maine has one of the oldest populations in the United States. In this article, Helen Miltiades and Lenard Kaye, guest editor for this special issue, provide an overview of Maine’s aging population and the challenges—and opportunities—faced in the “revolution in aging” that is taking place. They point out how the growing older adult population is expected to place greater demands on family caregivers, on the health and long-term care systems, and on state and federal budgetary and policy decisions. Describing some of Maine’s innovative public and private sector responses, they note that Maine has been in the forefront in providing …

The Human Face Of Housing Policy For Rural Elders In Maine, Sandra S. Butler

Maine Policy Review

Sandra Butler reflects on the ways in which the older households she has been encountering in her recent in-depth research in Washington County match those described by Stephen Golant in his article in this issue on the needs of elderly homeowners and the solutions to those needs. Butler’s research is based on extensive interviews with volunteers and clients of the Senior Companion Program, which has as one of its primary purposes helping elders remain in their homes as long as possible. Butler notes that she was surprised to learn how many subsidized housing complexes exist in Washington County. A number …