Options/Opciones
The Options/Opciones Project was implemented by
CIR in August 1997 as a five-year demonstration
project to explore and develop best practices in
provision of domestic violence assessment and services
on site in one welfare department office on Chicago¹s
West Side. Three full-time trained domestic violence
advocates were employed in the demonstration project
serving an African-American and Hispanic population.
Following two years of implementation supported
through private foundations, the Illinois Department
of Human Services assumed the funding responsibilities
for the entire service delivery component of the
project in July 2000. However, in February 2001,
IDHS cut off all funding for the project.
The
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is
funding a five-year longitudinal evaluation of
the Options/Opciones Project. Project staff collected
data on a participants via a multi-part intake
form, completed over several interviews, which
includes sections for eligibility, employment,
health care, legal issues/needs, and a brief abuser
profile.
As
few TANF caseworkers were referring women to the
on-site domestic violence advocates, the project
experimented with other assessment methods at
the site. These combined methods produced about
a 10% referral rate to the project. Approximately
500 women obtained assistance from the project
within the last two years of the project. Of those
who came for at least one follow-up visit, 57%
were placed in work activities.
For
further information, contact Rebekah Levin at
rlevin@impactresearch.org.
Project
Publications
Less
Than Ideal: The Reality of Implementing a Welfare-to-Work
Program for Domestic Violence Victims and Survivors
in Collaboration With the TANF Department
2//01
An article about the Options/Opciones project.
Full
Article
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