1. Advocacy Through Innovative Health Partnerships Sarah Callender, LCSW, Director of Health and Wellness & Amy Turk, LCSW, Chief Program Officer Downtown Women’s Center The Network for Social Work Management Annual Conference June 2016

2. Who We Are
Primarily a direct-service organization: Drop-In Day Center, Health Services, Job Readiness, and Housing for more than 3,000 women annually.
Amy

3. Collective Impact: a model we know and love
“The commitment of a group of important actors from different sectors to a common agenda for solving a specific social problem…”
Amy

4. Traditional Collective Impact Model
Health Partnership
Community-Based Organizations
Local Businesses
Government Agencies
Universities
Healthcare System
People with Lived Experience
Amy

5. Benefits of Collective Impact
Can help clarify goals and vision
Can accomplish systems-level work
Good for standardizing tools/processes
Involves traditionally unengaged groups
Builds momentum
Amy

6. Challenges of Collective Impact
Competing or mismatched priorities
Competition for funds
Trust- and relationship-building can be skipped or rushed through
Focus on tools and processes
Existing relationships, conflicts, expertise
Selection/creation of the backbone organization
Amy

7. Our journey towards a new model of Collective Impact
Goal: Ending Women’s Homelessness
Amy

8. Housing First Conference
Regional
Workgroups
Media
CBO
Federal Government
CBO
Researcher
CBO
American Roundtable
Regional
Workgroups
Researcher
CBO
National Alliance
CBO
CBO
CBO
Clients
Housing First Conference
Regional
Workgroups
Govt
Clients
Amy: DWC observes that there are specific strategies we are using to meet women’s unique needs that make us particularly effective in ending their homelessness.
We want to know if other people are finding that by designing women-focused services 50 interviews and 14 site visits to agencies serving homeless women.
CBO
Researcher
FUNDERS!
Govt
CBO

9. Advocacy Efforts
CONVENER
PROVIDER
Sarah
INFORMER

10. Advocate for the development of more permanent supportive housing.
ACTION AGENDA
Advocate for the development of more permanent supportive housing.
Promote Trauma-Informed Care
Encourage more research on homeless women, their needs, and effective services
Empower more women advocates to share their stories, meet their goals and help end homelessness for all
Sarah

11. Programming to Elevate Voice of Women We Serve
Peer Leadership in all programs
Advisory Board
Provide advocacy training to participants/residents
Accompany participants on media interviews, meetings with elected officials, testimony, etc.
Create story bank of women’s stories
Sarah

12. Downtown Women’s Action Coalition
Advocacy group that addresses issues affecting homeless women
Founded by DWC, LA CAN, and partner organizations in 2001
Downtown Women’s Needs Assessment conducted every three years
Monthly policy meetings for program participants/community residents
Sarah

13. 1-in-4 Convenings
Held two national convenings on women’s homelessness in October 2014 and January 2016
Raise awareness, expand research, and advocate for increased funding
Growth in regional 1-in-4 approach
Sarah

14. Co-Located Federally Qualified Health Center at DWC
Weekly multidisciplinary team meetings where we discuss client issues and advocate for changes in care if needed
Pilot new programs to better serve clients
Quarterly meetings with the Medical Director to make policy and procedural changes that will better serve our clients
Work with health plans to reduce barriers if needed
Attend homeless healthcare conferences with FQHC staff to learn more about how, where and with whom to advocate for our clients
Sarah

15. John A. Hartford Foundation Change AGEnts Initiative
Piloted a program to help women enroll in Medi-Cal/Medicare when they are applying for housing rather than waiting until they are housed
Wrote a white paper on this project to share learnings with other agencies
Use convenings to educate other healthcare providers about the unique needs of homeless women
Sarah

16. SCALE/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Institute for Healthcare Improvement Project
One of the only orgs in this project serving homeless individuals
Steering committee comprised of a major health plan, local FQHC, university, people with lived experience and experienced advocates
Adapting chronic disease curriculum to meet the needs of our clients
Sharing learnings with other organizations through a learning collaborative
Using social change theories and other tools provided by SCALE to impact work at all levels
Use quarterly learning academies to educate other organizations on the unique needs of homeless women
Sarah

18. Make your mission mainstream
Infiltrate & communicate
Create collective thinking
Amy

19. Go Big, Go Bold Reach beyond your circle Go national
Connect national with local
Amy

20. Instead, use backbone organizations. Bend them to your will!
You don’t have to be a backbone organization …
Amy
Instead, use backbone organizations. Bend them to your will!

21. Best and Emerging Practices
Research, data, repeat
Amy

22. First share lunch – then share agendas
Sarah

23. Grab every opportunity
Knock on every door
Ring every bell
Bend every ear
Sarah
Everyone knows someone

24. Engage your Clients & Beneficiaries
Sarah
Helps keep your eyes on the goal
Keeps it real

25. Create multiple networks
Sarah

26. Amy