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CJA Blog > Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grant
May 3, 2010
by CJA Admin
The Children’s Justice Alliance (CJA) today announced a $200,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help support additional family stabilization services and community engagement efforts at CJA’s Rockwood-based Center for Family Success. CJA’s mission is to improve outcomes for children whose parents are involved in the criminal justice system.
“East Multnomah County is an area with a large number of children living in poverty and a high rate of youth involvement in the juvenile justice system,” said Claudia Black, Board Chair of the Children’s Justice Alliance. “Today’s investment will enable CJA to help stabilize and strengthen these families with expanded services.”
Expanded services will include connecting with families new to the criminal justice system earlier in the process, serving Relative/Foster Caregivers and families outside City of Portland boundaries, creating an MSW internship program to increase service-intensity for families, and adding more bilingual staff.
“We are pleased to have the opportunity to help develop pro-social community engagement among parents and prevent family violence in East Multnomah County,” said Lauren Booth, Executive Director of the CJA. “Strong, stable families not only help improve the lives of the children, they reduce intergenerational criminality and parental recidivism and improve community safety.”
Research studies have found that children in families with currently or formerly incarcerated parents experience a greater number of risk factors (parental substance abuse, mental illness, extreme poverty, domestic violence) than do other children encountered by Child Welfare Services, and 80% of them use a higher level of state services (mental health, child welfare, alcohol/drug treatment, juvenile rehabilitation services and governmental financial assistance) than do their peers whose parents are not involved in the criminal justice system.
CJA’s work includes the creation and support of programs serving the child, the parent, and the child’s caregiver. CJA operates the Center for Family Success in the Rockwood area of Portland in a joint venture with its partner organization, Pathfinders of Oregon.
At the Center for Family Success, families with criminal justice involvement are assisted in addressing immediate needs: food, housing, and advocacy. Families take part in ongoing Center activities on average for a full year, with some engaging in programs for two years or more. At the core of services offered are two programs: the evidence-based parenting education program, Parenting Inside Out (PIO) designed specifically to address the unique challenges and circumstances of parents involved in the criminal justice system; and Healthy Relationships: Successful Families (HR:SF), a family violence prevention program that teaches parents about healthy adult relationships, and how those relationships impact the wellbeing of their children. Children’s activities and pro-social family activities provide further education and skill building. All families take part in advocacy skill-building to connect to needed public services and social supports in a positive, effective way.
In the words of one parent who has participated in programs at the Center for Family Success: “After I got out of prison, I started working with the Children’s Justice Alliance’s Center for Family Success. I now have two of my children back living with me. I’ve been drug free since I got out of prison in 2006. Staff at the Center also helped me get my very first job ever. I worked full-time at the Furniture Connexion, and was even their top sales person one month. I feel proud that they wanted to hire me.” This young woman recently left her position and is now a full-time student earning her associate degree.