H79SM084799

Wendt Resilient Scholars Project: Community-Based, Family-Focused Therapy for Low-Income, Minority Children and Adolescents in Washington DC

The Wendt Resilient Scholars Community-Based, Family-Focused Project (RSP) addresses barriers to mental health care faced by at-risk children and adolescents in Washington, DC, by increasing access to evidence-based treatment services. RSP serves children, adolescents, and families from DC's lowest-income wards.

The project implements three evidence-based practices to address untreated trauma, increase protective factors within families, and improve child/adolescent emotional wellbeing and health. The Wendt Center for Loss and Healing is the leading provider of trauma-informed mental health care in the Washington, DC, region, sharply focused on improving access to treatment for under-resourced communities.

The children, adolescents, and families served through RSP reside in DC's most impoverished neighborhoods with the highest rates of health disparities and exposure to chronic stressors. Participants will be low-income, minority families who have experienced trauma and/or traumatic loss (community violence, poverty, discrimination, incarceration loss, etc.).

The project incorporates a dual individual and systems-level approach, allowing more children/adolescents to directly access treatment while equipping the systems in which they spend their time (their families, schools, communities) to provide supportive environments that promote emotional wellbeing and health.

In addition to direct treatment services, RSP provides training on trauma-informed practices to school staff and community members who serve and interact with trauma-impacted young people. RSP will serve 50 new families annually for the first three years of the grant and 45 families annually for the final two years, reaching approximately 720 individuals. RSP will train 70-75 school personnel and 45-50 community members annually. Collectively, 1,320 individuals will be served over the life of the grant.

The project goal is to increase the impact and reach of mental health services for low-income, minority DC children/adolescents and their families who are suffering the adverse consequences of exposure to trauma and/or traumatic loss through a holistic, community-based program of evidence-based interventions.

Objectives include:

1) Strengthen RSP infrastructure to provide accessible and effective services through the project's community-based, family-focused interventions.

2) Provide 50 new families (years 1-3; 45 new families for years 4-5) impacted by trauma with access to evidence-based mental health services per year, with 70% of family members demonstrating decreased mental health symptoms, 65% increasing coping skills and functioning, and 65% improving family communication upon treatment completion.

3) Expand the ability of schools and community members to meet the needs of trauma-impacted children/adolescents through the provision of training to 75 school personnel (68 for years 4-5) and 50 community members (45 for years 4-5) per project year.

4) Effect systemic change to improve community understanding of, and response to, children/adolescents impacted by trauma through participation in 2-4 DC City Council hearings and 20-25 additional relevant forums on a yearly basis.

5) Review and evaluate effectiveness of program and services in close collaboration with NCTSN.

William Wendt Center For Loss And Healing

SAMHSA WAS GIVEN THE AUTHORITY TO ADDRESS PRIORITY SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT, PREVENTION AND MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF REGIONAL AND NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE THROUGH ASSISTANCE (GRANTS AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS) TO STATES, POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS OF STATES, INDIAN TRIBES AND TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND OTHER PUBLIC OR NONPROFIT PRIVATE ENTITIES. UNDER THESE SECTIONS, CSAT, CMHS AND CSAP SEEK TO EXPAND THE AVAILABILITY OF EFFECTIVE SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT AND RECOVERY SERVICES AVAILABLE TO AMERICANS TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF THOSE AFFECTED BY ALCOHOL AND DRUG ADDITIONS, AND TO REDUCE THE IMPACT OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE ON INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, COMMUNITIES AND SOCIETIES AND TO ADDRESS PRIORITY MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF REGIONAL AND NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE AND ASSIST CHILDREN IN DEALING WITH VIOLENCE AND TRAUMATIC EVENTS THROUGH BY FUNDING GRANT AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT PROJECTS. GRANTS AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS MAY BE FOR (1) KNOWLEDGE AND DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION PROJECTS FOR TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION AND THE CONDUCT OR SUPPORT OF EVALUATIONS OF SUCH PROJECTS, (2) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, (3) TARGETED CAPACITY RESPONSE PROGRAMS (4) SYSTEMS CHANGE GRANTS INCLUDING STATEWIDE FAMILY NETWORK GRANTS AND CLIENT-ORIENTED AND CONSUMER RUN SELF-HELP ACTIVITIES AND (5) PROGRAMS TO FOSTER HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN, (6) COORDINATION AND INTEGRATION OF PRIMARY CARE SERVICES INTO PUBLICLY-FUNDED COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTERS AND OTHER COMMUNITY-BASED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SETTINGS

93.243 - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance

Division of Grants Management [HHS - SAMHSA]

Washington, District Of Columbia 200081162 United States

Single Zip Code

National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative – Category III, Community Treatment and Service (CTS) Centers (SM-21-010)

COVID-19 $1,600,000 (80%) percent of this Project Grant was funded by COVID-19 emergency acts including the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been shortened from 09/29/26 to 01/13/26 and the total obligations have increased 400% from $400,000 to $2,000,000.