No one intended for human services programs to cause trauma, or create barriers for families to gain economic opportunity and prosperity. But oftentimes, because of bureaucracy, lack of coordination and planning, and lack of input from those most impacted, many well intended programs do exactly that.
The two-generation, whole family approach (2Gen/WFA) is one antidote to this problem and something we began to adopt in our last strategic plan; and continue to refine in our new strategic plan. 2Gen/WFA provides a framework for Community Action Agencies (CAAs) like Neighborhood House to intentionally engage, plan, and implement programs that help individual families access the opportunities needed to exit poverty permanently. At the agency level, 2Gen/WFA requires resources, a culture shift, planning, and shared vision, but it can reap operational efficiencies and improved family outcomes. At the systemic level, 2Gen/WFA can knit together complex systems, and reduce barriers to economic stability and prosperity for a whole state.
With this approach, despair can be replaced by opportunity and hope. When Community Action Agencies(CAAs) design programs around family and community needs, rather than systems or silos, they unlock opportunities that span generations. Human Capital Theory (Eckrich Sommer, Sabol, et al) tells us that improving a child’s or parent’s skills and capacities leads to further skill development and capacity building, which can translate to positive benefits across generations within the same family. CAAs can coordinate mutually reinforcing services such as high-quality early learning, peer support/parenting, employment/training, health and wellness, housing assistance, food security, home ownership, college access, and myriad other goals, replacing despair with opportunity and hope.
Poverty is not a personal failure, it’s a systemic one. And when systems work together, impoverished individuals, families, and communities can gain the tools they need to achieve health, wellbeing, and economic opportunity. One advantage of multi-service CAAs like Neighborhood House is that they leverage various funding sources to operate their programs. However, with so many diverse funding sources, each with their own eligibility criteria, goals, and requirements. This complexity can lead CAAs to operate in siloes; hyper focused on grant compliance rather than the holistic needs of families. Staff are often assigned to individual programs, a family advocate, case manager, or employment specialist, may be knowledgeable about their program but unaware of others. In this scenario, families could be retraumatized by having to retell their stories multiple times, re-start new intake processes, or miss out on services simply because they are unaware of the resources available to them within the CAA.
That’s why the 2Gen/WFA centers the family experience, not the funding requirements. It calls for a family-centered, trauma-informed approach, that connects all generations of the family to resources based on their individual situation and goals When CAAs and community partners work intentionally to blend and braid funding, set and measure outcomes for children and families, and create a seamless service experience; families are more likely to achieve self-sufficiency and independencewhen they can access resources tailored to their situation regardless of which program or service they initially access.
A coordinated response to poverty , facilitated by the CAA, can be an effective approach to moving people out of poverty. When Community Action Agencies formed Family Centered Community Change (FCCC) initiatives, in Buffalo, Columbus, and San Antonio, every location looked a little different; partners combined programs like: child services, workforce training, family services, coaching and wrap around services to respond effectively to community and family needs and goals. While each location was unique, what they had in common was that they worked together to center the family experience, foster partnerships, create a shared vision, build effective communication mechanisms, and data sharing capacity (McDaniel, Anderson, et.al)[i].
We are excited to embark on the next phase of our 2Gen/Whole Family Approach work in our new strategic plan. At Neighborhood House we are working toward a streamlined client journey made possible through integrated data and systems, agency-wide collaboration, and building a culture where data and community voice inform decision making, The two-generation, whole family approach is a powerful framework to accomplish what the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 set out to do: eliminate the paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty in this Nation by opening to everyone the opportunity for education and training, the opportunity to work, and the opportunity to live in decency and dignity.
[i] A Two-Generation Human Capital Approach to Anti-Poverty Policy Author(s): Teresa Eckrich Sommer, Terri J. Sabol, Elise Chor, William Schneider, P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Mario L. Small,Christopher King and Hirokazu Yoshikawa
[i][i] Developing Place-Based Two-Generation Partnerships Lessons from Three Community Change Initiative Partnerships Marla McDaniel, Theresa Anderson, Adaeze Okoli, Susan J. Popkin, Amelia Coffey, and Peace Gwam February 2021
[i][i][i]Figures from Ascend at the Aspen Institute