Social Welfare Commons^™

The State Of Homelessness In Nevada, 2020, Annie Vong, Mae Ling Catayong, Christine Guardian, Abigail Boron, Maria Jerinic, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet examines data on homelessness in Nevada between 2007 and 2020. The original report, “State of Homelessness,” by the National Alliance to End Homelessness includes the number of homeless individuals that slept outside on any given night, how many beds in shelters went empty, and the number of homeless individuals per 10,000 individuals in each continuum of care in Nevada.

Differentials And Predictors Of Food Insecurity Among Federally Qualified Health Center Target Populations In Philadelphia: A Cross-Sectional Study, Galicano Kai Inguito, Brandon Joa, James Gardner, Eric N Fung, Laura Layer, Karen Fritz

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, the prevalence of food insecurity declined in the United States but curiously climbed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a sizable metropolitan area where many households experience food insecurity and are dependent on programs like SNAP. Therefore, we aimed to determine the burden of food insecurity among populations near Philadelphia Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) clinic sites.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in North Philadelphia, a populous and impoverished section of Philadelphia with many zip codes reporting 30-45% or more of the population below the federal poverty line. Students and clinicians affiliated with a local FQHC conducted …

Competency-Based Personnel Selection Oklahoma - Key Findings, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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Background

The QIC-WD began working with Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) in 2017. At that time OKDHS had an average turnover rate of 25% among Child Welfare Specialist (CWS) I and IIs. Agency leaders expressed a desire to better understand turnover rates with an eye toward increasing the retention of more competent performers. A thorough needs assessment led to the decision to design and implement a competency-based personnel selection intervention to address inconsistencies in hiring and better identify candidates with the desired competencies to be hired as a CWS. The evaluation was designed to include an implementation evaluation; a validation …

Addressing Work-Related Traumatic Stress Nebraska - Key Findings, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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Background

Nebraska’s Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) started working with the QIC-WD in 2017 to better understand its turnover problem and found that, among workers who left the agency in 2017, it typically happened within the first two years and the turnover rate in 2017 was about 30%. The team examined many contributing factors through a needs assessment and designed CFS Strong to improve employee retention by addressing work-related traumatic stress among the child welfare workforce.

According to the Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) scale administered in December 2017, the overall presence of STS symptoms in DCFS staff was …

Frontline Job Redesign Louisiana - Key Findings, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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Background

In 2017, the QIC-WD began working with the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). At that time DCFS had an average turnover rate of 24% across the state with one region having a rate of 51% and another with a low of 8%. A thorough needs assessment identified that high caseloads and a large number of administrative tasks were barriers to caseworkers’ ability to effectively engage in the clinical aspects of their work and led to the decision to redesign the frontline caseworker job.

The intervention created a new job, the Child Welfare Team Specialist (CWTS), …

What Explains Spatial Cariations Of Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy?: A Social-Ecological-Technological Systems Approach, Arun Pallathadka, Heejun Chang, Daikwon Han

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

While COVID-19 vaccines have been available since December 2020 and efforts have been made to vaccinate the maximum population, a large number of people are continuing to be hesitant, prolonging the pandemic in the US. While most previous studies investigated social, economic, and demographic variables that are associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, we added ecological and technological variables to better understand the spatial variations of vaccine rates in the contiguous United States using spatial regression and geographically weighted regression (GWR) models. We aim to identify spatially varying social, ecological, and technological factors that are associated with COVID-19 vaccination rates, which …

Psu Student Housing Insecurity Interim Report, Jacen Greene, Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, Portland State University

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Project Background

This study on student housing insecurity and homelessness was funded as part of a HUD FY2023 Community Project Funding Opportunity awarded to Portland State University. Phase 1 of the study, which led to this report by PSU’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative (HRAC), includes a literature review; a summary of PSU student survey results; a description of PSU programs based on interviews with staff and administrators; an analysis of programs at other institutions; and a set of recommendations for better addressing student housing needs. Phase 2 of the study will include the results of a comprehensive …

Conducting Oral History: Background And Methods, Katrine Barber

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

This chapter-length essay describes the practice of oral history through real world examples: the steps to conducting oral history interviews, things to consider when developing a project or an interview plan, and ethical considerations. How oral history has enlarged the historical record and changed scholarly interpretation of the past are highlighted.

Positive And Negative Experiences With Supportive Services And Programming: Gaps And Recommendations From Youth Experiencing Homelessness, Judy Y. Tan, G. Allen Ratliff, Ilsa Lund, Sherilyn Adams, Colette Auerswald, Marguerita Lightfoot

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Services for youth experiencing homelessness (YEH) are designed with limited input from the youth themselves. This study explored the experiences and recommendations for services aimed at mitigating the negative effects of homelessness among youth. A total of 45 interviews were conducted with YEH (ages 15 to 24, M = 21.5 years) who experienced at least one night of homelessness. Transcripts were coded by using a modified constructivist grounded theory approach. YEH reported myriad challenges to navigating disjointed programming and misguided policies. Recommendations from YEH for policy and programmatic change include peacekeeping and diffusion training for program staff, trauma-informed approaches, and …

Supportive Supervision And Resiliency Ohio - Key Findings, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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Background The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) started working with the QIC-WD in October 2017 to better understand its turnover problem. Eight counties volunteered to be part of the entire study. They participated in a thorough needs assessment process which led to creation of Coach Ohio, a multi-level blend of two interventions that addressed key needs across the counties regarding work-related traumatic stress and supportive supervision. Four counties and half of the largest county participated in the intervention while three counties and the other half of the largest county participated as comparison counties. Among these counties the …

Organizational Change Process Milwaukee - Key Findings, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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Background

The QIC-WD team engaged with the Department of Milwaukee Child Protective Services (DMCPS) in 2017 to conduct a thorough needs assessment to understand the root causes underlying a high turnover rate among Initial Assessment Specialists. In 2016, the overall turnover rate, including both external turnover and internal movement, was just under 49%, with a little over 11% due to internal movement and 37% due external turnover. The Organizational Social Context (OSC) baseline survey showed that there were several aspects of both culture and climate that were in need of improvement, including: 1) a hierarchical decision-making structure, 2) high …

Onboarding Program Eastern Band Of Cherokee Indians - Key Findings, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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Background

The QIC-WD worked with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Family Safety Program (FSP) to address workforce challenges. FSP is a relatively new agency, established in 2015, and when they began working with the QIC-WD in 2017, FSP employed approximately 20 social workers, who provided direct service to children and families. Persistent vacancies were of greater concern than turnover. The QIC-WD partnered with FSP to conduct a needs assessment and identify areas of need that could be addressed through a workforce intervention. Three areas of need were identified as offering the strongest opportunities for intervention through the QIC-WD …

Extreme Heat Vulnerability Among Older Adults: A Multi-Level Risk Index For Portland, Oregon, Jacklyn N. Kohon, Katsuya Tanaka, Dani Himes, Paula Carder, Eiji Toda, Bryant Carlson

Institute on Aging Publications

Background and Objectives

Extreme heat is an environmental health equity concern disproportionately impacting low-income older adults and people of color. Exposure factors, such as living in rental housing and lack of air conditioning, and sensitivity factors, such as chronic disease and social isolation, increase mortality risk among older adults. Older persons face multiple barriers to adaptive heat mitigation, particularly for those living in historically temperate climates. This study measures two heat vulnerability indices to identify areas and individuals most vulnerable to extreme heat and discusses opportunities to mitigate vulnerability among older adults.

Research Design and Methods

We constructed two heat …

Assessment Of The Role Of Humanitarian Association In Addressing Social Security Issues In Ethiopia: The Case Of Mekidonina Humanitarian Association, Belay Gemeda Legesse Mr.

Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies

Abstract: One of the possible interventions to tackle the suffering of the elderly, mentally and physically disabled persons is an institutional caring system through local humanitarian associations. This study tries to assess the role of Mekidonian Humanitarian Association /MHA/ in addressing the social security problem of People in needs. The researcher followed exploratory research approach and employ qualitative method. Shelter, food, clothes and health problem are the major consequences of the social security problem. Policy formulation pertinent to basic social security towards elderly and physically disabled people, encouraging and supporting local humanitarian associations, awareness creation and closely working with regional …

Historical Trauma: Literary And Testimonial Responses To Hiroshima, Mariam Ghonim

Theses and Dissertations

The concept of trauma is controversial in literature. While one may be able to come up with ways to describe trauma in fiction, representing historical trauma is a hard task for writers. Some argue that trauma can not be described through those who did not experience it, while others claim that, provided some elements are added, one can represent trauma to the reader. This thesis focuses on twentieth-century historical traumas related to a nuclear catastrophe and explores the different literary and testimonial responses to the catastrophic man-made event of Hiroshima (1945). In this thesis, Kathleen Burkinshaw’s historical fiction The Last …

Spotlight On Innovative Recruitment Strategies: Northwest Ohio Fellowship Program, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development (Qic-Wd)

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Ohio is a county-administered children services (formerly known as child welfare) system. Like many other states, Ohio is experiencing a shortage of child protective services (CPS) workers. County leaders report that this is due to high rates of turnover compounded by rising wages and competition from outside employers. Traditional recruitment techniques and programs, including traditional partnerships with universities with social work programs, are not adequate to meet the current level of need for new children services workers. Although social work majors come to children service agencies with a training set that allows faster onboarding, social work majors make up less …

Examining How Unauthorized Asylum Seekers And Legal Immigrants Shape Canadian Welfare And Immigration Attitudes, Henry S. Jin

Quantitative Social Science Undergraduate Senior Theses

How will Canadian attitudes on welfare and immigration shift in response to the recent surge in irregular border crossings? Do unauthorized asylum seekers pose a greater threat to public support for immigration and welfare policies compared to legal immigrants? At a time when irregular border crossings make national headlines, the Canadian government has simultaneously announced plans to welcome record numbers of legal immigrants. This study builds upon the existing body of literature on "Canadian exceptionalism" in public support for immigration and welfare. It investigates the extent to which these positive attitudes can be maintained in the context of increasing numbers …

The Impact Of Leadership Turnover On Child Welfare Workforce Initiatives, Courtney Harrison, Megan Paul

QIC-Takes

Turnover among public child welfare leaders is prevalent. Across the eight QIC-WD intervention sites, leadership turnover was one of the most common implementation challenges observed by the QIC-WD team. Leadership changes can disrupt the implementation of a workforce initiative by shifting agency-level priorities, the organizational climate, or key staff.

Child welfare leaders may be appointed or hired in many different ways in different jurisdictions. In some states, the Governor appoints a cabinet-level child welfare director who oversees a stand-alone agency. This means that child welfare leadership changes follow the political election cycle with new governors appointing new agency leaders every …

Aging In Brockton: A Community Needs Assessment, Caitlin E. Coyle, Setarreh Massihzadegan, Josef Kijewski, Ceara Somerville

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

This report describes research undertaken by the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging (CSDRA) within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, on behalf of the City of Brockton. The goals of this project were to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of Brockton’s residents age 60 or older by engaging the community regarding their experiences and needs relevant to the COA’s objective to identify and serve the needs of all Brockton citizens 60 and older. The contents of this report are meant to inform the City of Brockton, the Brockton COA, Senior Center, and …

Permanent Shelter In The Empire City: Youth Experiencing Family Homelessness And Navigating The Homeless Industrial Complex With A Narrative Inquiry Approach, Henry O. Love

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Many studies have examined unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness; however, a relative silence persists about the lives of youth and young adults (YYA) while in family homeless shelters. This study aims to fill the gap in the literature about the lives of youth residing in family shelters and to learn about successful transitions from adolescence to young adulthood while experiencing family homelessness. This transition interacts with various social collectives (family, peers, community), political institutions (municipal, state, and federal), and an overwhelming economic system (global racial capitalism). These complex perspectives are considered with a narrative activity-meaning system research design to understand the …