Sustainability

Why is evaluation useful? How do you conduct a practical evaluation without straining resources? How can a program integrate evaluation activities into a project so that they become an asset rather than a burden? The answers to these questions and additional resources can be found in Volume 4 of the Community Living Brief.

HCBS.org News CLIPS highlights the important work of Real Choice Systems Change Grantees. In this issue, we have interviewed Dawn Lambert in Connecticut to discuss the key strengths and challenges faced during program implementation of their Nursing Facility Transitions to Independent Living Program. Find out the program basics, success strategies, stakeholder involvement techniques and the options for sustainability.

Based on a comprehensive review of the relevant literature, this paper examines the impact of asset ownership on meaningful and participatory social inclusion. The paper first, presents an overview of the assets-based perspective of welfare and highlight factors that have shaped this perspective with an overview of rural communities and their relationship to these issues. Next, the paper reviews the potential effects of asset ownership and how this may impact social inclusion in rural areas.

The Nursing Home Transition Summit, convened by Rutgers Center for State Health Policy, was held September 28 through September 30, 2005. It brought together 39 participants from ten states, in addition to representatives from CMS, to discuss how to sustain nursing home transition programs. The New Jersey Community Choice Counseling program served as the summit centerpiece, with presentations by program staff and visits to several sites in the Central New Jersey area.

Maine's Real Choice Systems Change Initiative has done work in four major areas: Data integration, Quality, Access and Person-Centered Services. This paper reports on the accomplishments at the conclusion of Quality Choices I. Report sections include: Background, Goals and Objectives, Project Selection, Pre-Design Planning, System Design, Challenges, Lessons Learned, Next Steps and Sustainability. The appendices offer examples of Critical Event Intake & Triage Forms plus a BEAS Event Form.

It is necessary for organizations working with vulnerable people to recruit and advance promising leaders as well as further renew and encourage existing leaders. This specialized five-day event prepares the next generation of leaders as the present baby boomers begin to leave the field of advocacy, academia and governmental services. Participants will develop a proposal that identifies key leadership issues that each believes their organization ought to pursue. The event is in March 2006.

The Quality Choices for Maine project was conducted from 2001-2004. This report focuses on Access to Services, one part of the three-year RCSC Quality Grant. The specific housing related goal was “to improve access to community housing for people with disabilities of all types.” Project activities were overseen by the Access to Services Technical Assistance Group and a variety of stakeholders. Read the activity summaries, lessons learned and recommendations on how to sustain the work.

This presentation reviews important changes CMS is making in the reporting system for FY04 RCSC grants. The slides provide an overview of the “why and how of the proposed changes” offers next steps and introduces the Logic Model Framework. The Logic Model is a tool for strategic planning and program evaluation. This presentation notifies grantees of upcoming changes to the web-based reporting system and introduces the systems terminology, context and concepts.

At the heart of the April 28 Forum in Griswold, CT was a presentation by Greg Ryan of CT Assets Network, Inc. Asset Based Community Development is based on the work of Kretzman & McKnight, authors of Building Communities From the Inside Out: A Path For Finding and Mobilizing a Community’s Assets. It works on the principles that each person in the community, including people with disabilities, has gifts to offer, and can contribute their gifts & resources for mutually beneficial problem solving.

The April 5, 2005 Forum in Westport, CT was attended by 54 individuals from 9 towns. They included representatives from senior centers, public schools, police departments, social services, parks and recreation, YMCA, advocacy organizations, persons with disabilities and family members. Following an introduction by Diane Goss Farrell and an overview by the Forum facilitators, the attendees broke up into three smaller discussion groups to share ideas and experiences relating to inclusion.