Christine George

Service-Learning in Early Adolescence Results of a School-Based Curriculum

Over the past few decades, service-learning has surged in popularity. Although most programs are implemented in high school and college classrooms, service-learning has the potential for great impact in middle school. The present article evaluates a pilot service-learning program for fifth- and seventh-grade (N = 86) children in a large, urban, midwestern city. For this project, a service-learning curriculum was developed, implemented, and assessed. Findings indicate that, relative to students in the control group, students participating in the service-learning curriculum demonstrated significantly higher scores on the measure of Leadership. Several Grade × Intervention interactions suggested stronger effects for fifth-grade students. A measure of Acceptance of Diversity did not show any significant differences. Implications and recommendations for developing future programs are discussed.

Shelter and Service Receipt for Victims of Domestic Violence in Illinois

There is little empirical research about the services victims of violence in shelters receive and when, yet such information would increase our understanding of their unmet service needs especially after they leave shelter. This article utilizes data from a randomly selected sample of individuals in shelter to examine their service trajectories. Results indicate that most individuals receive service while in shelter. Individual counseling is likely to continue after shelter, but group counseling, employment, and educational assistance tend to end once shelter is over.The policy and practice implications of these results are discussed.

Connecting fractured lives to a fragmented system: Chicago housing for health partnership

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the nations first hospital to housing for homeless individuals. The Chicago Housing for Health Partnership (CHHP), a Housing First and Harm Reduction model, creates a new comprehensive system of health care, housing and supportive services.Design/methodology/approach – The researchers conducted a year long process evaluation of the housing program using a multi‐method approach, which involved qualitative interviews, focus groups, document analysis and observations. The paper examined the CHHP system at three different levels (the administrative, service provision and the client levels).Findings – The study allowed the organizational participants the ability to better understand their program by visually modeling the system for the first time and documenting its effectiveness. It also furthered the understanding of how and why the housing first model is best accompanied by a harm reduction approach. Finally, the paper was able to show how and why organizat...

“Falling through the cracks”: health care needs of the older homeless population and their implications

The homelessness of those 50–64, older homeless people, is a growing problem in the United States. This chapter seeks to understand the unique healthcare issues faced by this population. Data in the city of Chicago was collected and analyzed through a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods. Data included answers to survey questions by older homeless individuals, interviews with providers and older homeless individuals, focus groups with older homeless individuals, and agency data from homeless service organizations. Findings agree with previous research that shows a growth in the homeless population, the greater number and severity of health problems in the population, the significant number of barriers that the population encounters in obtaining health care, housing, and jobs, and the concern with preventative health that the older homeless have. After outlining these findings, this chapter offers policy and program recommendations for the larger health care and homeless service systems.

Social services in interim housing programs and shelters

This study investigates the effectiveness in delivering social services of interim housing programs compared to shelters. Interim housing programs represent a new approach to housing and serving homeless adults, one which provides emergency housing in apartment-like units, and in which use of services is voluntary. Shelters tend to provide congregate care and to expect or rely on clients to access needed services in order to secure resources required to obtain housing. Analyses of original survey data, which correct for sample selection utilizing propensity scores, suggest that clients in interim housing programs obtain more professional, advocacy, and employment services than do clients in shelters. This differential service use is found to reflect not client incentives, but the service offerings and referrals made by the programs. In general, the findings suggest that interim housing programs hold particular promise in service rich environments. They also suggest that program contingencies are more important than certain individual client incentives in affecting service use. Finally, the results begin to suggest the value of this new, interim housing-based approach.

Deferring felony prosecution: a process evaluation of an innovative Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office program

Purpose The Cook County State Attorneys’ Deferred Prosecution Program (DPP) is a pre-trial diversionary program that accepts first-time, non-violent defendants charged with a felony crime. The purpose of this paper is to document the development, implementation, and program patterns of the DPP to better understand the program’s scope and reach in diverting defendants from traditional criminal prosecution. Design/methodology/approach The approach to evaluating Cook County’s DPP is primarily qualitative. Through interviews with program administrators and current and former participants, the authors document the process of creating and implementing such DPP that aims to avoid a felony conviction altogether. The authors provide program participant patterns to shed light on the program’s scope and reach in diverting defendants from traditional felony prosecution. Findings Using data from staff, administrators, and program participants, the authors found that the DPP was developed and implemented through supportive leadership who instilled a culture of collaboration and buy-in. Expanding the program could include increasing the capacity of DPP to include additional participants or having a DPP incorporated into each branch court, instead of the centralized system under which it currently operates. Increasing the capacity and scope of the program could both further decrease criminal court caseloads and most importantly avoid a higher number of stigmatizing felony convictions for first-time non-violent defendants. Practical implications DPPs are cost effective and can be easily implemented within existing systems. Collaboration and buy-in from all stakeholders are crucial to the program’s success. DPP offers opportunities for expansion. Increasing the capacity and scope of the program could both further decrease criminal court caseloads and most importantly avoid a higher number of stigmatizing felony convictions for first-time non-violent felony defendants. Originality/value The main goals of DPP were two-fold. The first was to minimize the level of resources allocated for non-violent offenders in the criminal justice system by diverting such defendants out of the criminal justice system early in the process and reducing the recidivism rates of program participants. The second aimed to provide an option for eligible defendants to avoid a felony conviction, thereby avoiding the collateral consequences associating with a felony conviction.

HIV Housing Helps End Homelessness and HIV/AIDS in the United States

This chapter addresses the syndemic relationship between HIV/AIDS and homelessness or precarious housing. We focus nationally on the United States, and conclude with a case study from the city of Chicago. This chapter reviews a wide number of studies which demonstrate that homelessness or unstable housing greatly impacts the health and overall well-being of individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Studies show an interrelationship between HIV status and housing status—people with HIV/AIDS are at risk of housing insecurity and homelessness due to a number of economic and income factors, while homelessness or housing insecurity is often associated with sex and drug use behaviors that place individual at high risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV. This chapter discusses the U.S. federal policies and strategies enacted to curb the HIV/AIDS epidemic and to support low-income individuals with HIV/AIDS. Research shows that stable housing is key to achieving the goals of strategies and is associated with improved health outcomes for those with HIV/AIDS. In addition to better health outcomes, stable housing and supportive services for low-income individuals with chronic illnesses including HIV/AIDS is associated with reduced medical costs. Finally, this chapter describes the experiences of formerly homeless individuals living with HIV/AIDS and on Medicaid who are enrolled in a supportive housing program in Chicago. Through this case study, we explore the impact of the supportive housing program on these individuals’ health behavior and status and overall well-being.

Works in Progress: Searching for Solutions to the Difficult Problems of Homelessness

Our interest in editing this special issue stemmed from our experiences researching homelessness alleviation projects in Chicago including the Chicago Housing for Health Partnership (CHHP) and Chic...