Innovative programs and policies suggested by participants at the 2019 annual poverty research and policy forum: Human Services Programs and the Opioid Crisis
Convened by the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
Supported by the Office of Human Services Policy, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
| Program | Category | Description | Location |
| Bridge Over Troubled Waters | Recovery; Support Services; Treatment; Youth |
Bridge Over Troubled Waters serves homeless and high-risk youth with street outreach, a mobile medical van, a 24-hour hotline, on-site counseling, survival kits, education and career development support, and short-term and long-term transitional residenntial programs | Boston, MA |
| Center for Addiction Treatment for Adolescent/Young Adults who use Substances (CATALYST) Program | Recovery; Treatment; Youth |
The CATALYST program at the Boston Medical Center provides integrated, comprehensive medical, behavioral health, and recovery support care to youth (up to age 25) with substance use issues. | Boston, MA |
| Collegiate Recovery Programs | Education; Recovery; Youth |
The Association of Recovery in Higher Education provides education and resources to 138 campuses around the country to support students recovering from substance use disorders. Program models vary by site. | Nationwide |
| Familias Unidas | Families; Parenting; Prevention; Youth |
Familias Unidas is a substance use and sexual risk behavior prevention intervention for Hispanic youth and their families. It consists of eight multi-parent groups and four family sessions on parenting skills. | Select U.S. cities |
| Family Centered Treatment (FCT) | Families; Treatment; Youth |
FCT provides home-based family therapy. The model involves maladaptive behavior identification and skill development. | Nationwide |
| FEND (Full Energy, No Drugs) | Arts; Prevention; Youth |
An app that uses technology, music, and streetwear to engage youth to prevent them from opioid use. Musicians, artists, and athletes post videos about the dangers of opioid use. The app also includes games that promote healthy behaviors. | Virtual |
| FIRST (Families in Recovery Support) Steps Together | Families; Parenting; Peer support; Recovery |
The FIRST Steps Together home visiting program matches mothers recovering from opioid dependence with a family recovery support specialist. Family recovery support specialists are recovering from opioid dependence as well, and are trained to help participants with recovery and parenting. | Massachusetts |
| Hope Rocks and Hope Rocks Campus | Arts | Hope Rocks is a two day “Hope Festival” featuring visual and performance artists, activities, information and support organizations from around the nation, state and region in an environment focused on bringing hope to those who are suffering from the effects of addiction, depression, and social isolation. | Upstate NY |
| Indiana 211 Lyft Partnership | Support services | The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration pays for Lyft rides to addiction treatment for individuals who call into Indiana 211, a community resource connection hotline. Medicaid recipients are not eligible. The Lyft partnership is one of several Indiana 211 projects. | Indiana |
| Legal Services Corporation Opioid Task Force | Education; Justice; Recovery; Treatment |
LSC organized a task force of LSC grantees, health care and public health experts, judges, business leaders, and other stakeholders to: – Educate public health officials and treatment providers about the legal obstacles patients face in obtaining and remaining in treatment; – Educate judges, law enforcement officials, child welfare workers, and employers about the civil legal issues connected to medication-assisted treatment for opioid-related disorders; – Engage with public health officials, treatment providers, and others to promote a comprehensive model of recovery that includes legal aid attorneys as resources for individuals and families affected by the opioid epidemic; and – Provide a forum for study and discussion of potential best practices for engaging legal aid attorneys in the recovery process, and identify and make recommendations to promote such practices. |
Nationwide |
| LifeSkills Training | Education; Prevention; Youth |
The LifeSkills training curriculum combines training in self-management skills, social skills, and substance-use resistance skills to prevent substance use disorder and violence among elementary, middle, and high school students. A prescription drug abuse prevention module is available. | Nationwide |
| MARR Addiction Treatment and Drug Rehab | Employment; Faith-based; Treatment |
MARR is a residential addiction treatment program that provides gender-specific mentorship and support services to chemically-dependent individuals. Residents participate in “spiritual life groups,” as well as addiction treatment and therapy groups. The program includes work requirements. | Atlanta, GA |
| Michigan Youth Treatment Infrastructure Enhancement (MYTIE) | Recovery; Treatment; Youth |
The MYTIE grant is intended to improve treatment and recovery services for youth. Michigan continued contracts for three of the four evidence-based practices used in the grant period and expanded the number of grantee organizations. | Michigan |
| Moms in Recovery | Parenting; Peer support; Recovery |
Moms in Recovery connects pregnant and parenting women who struggle with substance use to each other in peer support groups. Mothers also receive support from counselors, psychiatrists, midwives, pediatricians, case managers, and recovery coaches. | Lebanon, NH |
| NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS) Opioid Overdose Prevention Program (OOPP) | Treatment | The HIV AIDS Services Administration (HASA) offers training on naloxone use to individuals identified as at risk of experiencing or witnessing an opioid overdose, and provides them an opioid response kit. Certified housing staff “dispensers” deliver these trainings at DHS sites. Dispensers get goals for the clients and staff they train. | New York, NY |
| Opioid Affected Youth Initiative (OAYI) | Youth | OAYI is a three-year grant, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, to develop data-driven, coordinated responses to address the effects of opioid use on youth under the age of 25. | Miami-Dade County, Florida |
| Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance (PFSA) Families in Recovery program | Parenting; Recovery | Pilot program to strengthen parenting skills for individuals recovering from a substance use disorder. | Pennsylvania |
| Providence Safe Stations | Referral | Providence fire stations have trained staff on duty 24/7 to connect substance use affected individuals with treatment support and services. | Providence, RI |
| Recovery High Schools | Families; Youth; Recovery |
Recovery high schools serve students in recovery from a substance use disorder. Curricula vary by district and state, but school staff typically includes substance use counselors and mental health professionals. Recovery schools also provide support for students’ families. | Nationwide |
| Renewal House | Families; Parenting; Recovery; Treatment |
The Family Residential Program is a family-centered substance use recovery program where women and their children going through treatment and recovery live in independent apartments on the Renewal House campus. The program provides a continuum of care to both mothers and children and tailors their approach to each individual. Renewal House also hosts an intensive outpatient program and provides therapy services to opioid-dependent pregnant women through their Recover Together program. They additionally provide apartments for mothers in recovery and their children. | Nashville, TN |
| Speak Now | Parenting; Prevention; Youth |
Speak Now is a social marketing campaign intended to encourage conversations between parents and teens around substance use. The website breaks down conversation guidance by age group and provides links to resources. | Colorado |
| Start Talking | Parenting; Prevention; Youth |
Start Talking is a social marketing campaign intended to help parents, schools, and communities talk to youth about substance use. | Ohio |
| Strength to Succeed (STS) | Parenting; Peer support; Recovery; Support services |
STS is a voluntary peer support program to address substance use disorders for child welfare-involved families. STS also includes in-home support services for relative caregivers and for post-reunification families. | New Hampshire |
| Teens Linked to Care (TLC) | Education; Prevention; Youth |
TLC is an integrated prevention program for rural youth being piloted at three sites. The program intends to help schools address high-risk substance use and other health concerns through education, primary prevention, and early detection screening. | Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio |
| Tennessee Recovery Oriented Compliance Strategy “TN ROCS” | Justice; Recovery; Treatment |
Individuals entering the criminal justice system receive a risk and needs assessment. Those identified as having a low risk of recidivism and high needs related to a substance use disorder (and frequently a mental health disorder) are redirected to a TN ROCS, which connects them to a criminal justice liaison. Liaisons perform a clinical assessment and develop an evidence-based behavioral health treatment plan, including activities such as outpatient therapy and medication-assisted treatment. Docket members meet regularly with corrections officers to confirm they are following treatment plans, and regularly appear before a judge to provide progress updates. The full process takes about two years. | Four counties in Eastern Tennessee |
| The Phoenix | Peer support; Recovery |
The Phoenix uses a fitness-based peer support model to assist with substance use recovery and community building. The “membership fee” is 48 hours of sobriety. Though based in Denver, CO, they have six additional facilities across the country (in Los Angeles, CA, Boise, ID, Billings, MT, Wichita, KS, Belmar, NJ, and Boston, MA), and off-site programming available in several more states. | Nationwide |
| Youth Clubhouses | Peer support Recovery; Youth; |
Clubhouses are based out of 11 community organizations in separate counties across New York and offer peer-driven social skill development support in a nonclinical setting to youth in addition recovery, or at risk of developing a substance use disorder. | New York |
| Zero to Three Safe Baby Court Teams | Families; Justice; Parenting; Recovery; Referral; Support services |
Judges and/or child welfare agencies may refer parents who come into contact with the child welfare system due to substance use to Safe Baby Court Teams (SBCT). SBCT coordinates local services and resources for parents and children. | Tennessee |