June 25 SWOT meeting

SWOT June 25 Meeting Flyer

May 21, 2010 meeting notes

SWOT Meeting Notes_5!21!10

DHS seeks input from organizations serving TANF recipients

The Department of Human Services has released a survey to gather information from organizations providing services to recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).   The information gathered will be used to assist DHS redesign TANF programs and services to better meet the needs of DC residents.

The deadline for participating in the survey is June 30.   Access the survey online here.   If you want to preview the survey, it is here.   Note that the survey must be completed online; it is adaptive and so you will answer questions that are specific to your previous responses and the scope of services provided by your organization.

Organizations that provide TANF recipients with any of the following services are encouraged to complete the survey:

• Outreach and client engagement
• Life skills and goal setting
• Job search and placement
• Education and training in preparation for employment
• Work experience
• Subsidized employment
• Program and job retention supports

TANF was created in the District in March 1997 following the federal reform of welfare.   Approximately 16,400 District families receive TANF benefits each month; of those, 74% are required to engage in work, training, or education activities.   DHS aims to become a national model for an accountable, compassionate and person-centric approach that helps welfare recipients build capacity, increase earnings, and transition towards self-sufficiency.

Questions should be directed to Inessa Lurye via email.

Campaign for Recovery in DC kickoff, September 10

From the Mount Pleasant Yahoo Group (Digest Number 3006, sent June 8, 2010) is this from Rob Fleming:

Mount Pleasant has long been a leader in enlightened substance abuse policy and programs, but we're slipping.   We pioneered community-oriented Alcoholic Beverage Control Policy, yet more kids buy here alcohol than in any otherstate (proportionately).   We founded Neighbors Consejo to offer treatment rather than jail, but it's fallen on hard times and does not get the support from the city it once did.   We had community policing before it got fashionable, and closed down drug markets on Mount Pleasant Street in the 90's, but our residents still buy and sell drugs, get out of jail and go back to their old habits in the 2-Teens.   It's time we got back to our traditions, not of protest, but proactive action and program building to ensure that Alcohol and Other Drug Disorders (four times more prevalent than HIV/AIDS, by the way) are recognized early, treated promptly and effectively, and that recovery is sustained for life.

AODDs are symptoms of a brain disease, and telling someone to "just say no" and quit drinking and drugging is like telling someone with AIDS to "just say no" to the infections their immune system can no longer fight off.   And even more than AIDS, AODDs have impacts far beyond the people who decide whether to buy, use, or sell drugs.   That makes them a public policy issue no less than air pollution, national defense, or education.   Yet our leaders take little action because they are busy with other problems that get more attention, like jobs, education, crime, traffic, and health care reform - all problems made worse by AODDs.

On Thursday, September 10th, the DC Recovery Community Alliance will hold a workshop to kick off a Campaign for Recovery in DC to describe the problem, offer solutions, and teach skills to advocate for recovery.   The workshop will be held at All Souls Episcopal Church, 2300 Cathedral Ave NW at 7:00 pm.   Our Councilman, Jim Graham, will be the keynote speaker.   There is off-street parking at All Souls and it is a few blocks from the Woodley Park Metro (map available here).

There's more information at www.dcrca.org or you can email Rob with questions.

Great news -- 10% discount extended for Solution-Focused training!

Just out from Columbia Heights/Shaw Support Collaborative:   The 10% discount on the Solution-Focused Brief Therapy training institute has been extended to June 14!   Now you can train with the best for less.   Go online today and reserve your space to train with Peter De Jong, Yvonne Dolan, and others on ways to use Solution-Focused in community-based settings.

Free bilingual education conference June 25

Rising to Academic Excellence for All:   Effective Literacy Practices for Second Language Learners is a free conference hosted by DC Bilingual Public Charter School on June 25.   The free event will take place at CentroNía’s facilities, 3029 14th Street (across the street from the Columbia Heights metro station).   Registration closes June 23 so be sure to register soon! Details below and here.DC Bilingual Conference Schedule FINAL