Beacon partners with businesses to Raise Funds for vulnerable children and families
Beacon Therapeutic will partner with Naples Bakery and Tatas Pizza in a special cause marketing campaign to raise awareness and funds for Beacon’s therapeutic day schools and homeless outreach services from Friday, February 3, 2012 through Sunday, February 19, 2012.
YOU can support Beacon Therapeutic by purchasing specially created cupcakes offered by Naples Bakery AND tasty heart-shaped or regular size pizza from Tatas. A portion of the cupcake and pizza sales will be donated to Beacon Therapeutic to support the organization’s efforts to empower vulnerable children and families by providing accredited educational, mental health and social services. Help to shape the hearts and lives of Beacon’s very special children.
Be sure to mention Beacon Therapeutic when you purchase the yummy cupcakes and pizza just in time for Valentine’s Day and the Super Bowl!
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Beacon Bakery Blitz Naples Bakery will offer a vanilla, chocolate and caramel mousse cupcake. Visit Naples Bakery at 3705 W. 95th Street in Evergreen Park, IL or call (708) 424-1810 to place your order. |
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Beacon Pizza Passion Tatas Chicago Pizzeria will offer a heart-shaped or regular size pizza. Visit Tatas Chicago Pizzeria at 3019 W 111th St, Chicago IL or call (773) 881-1313 to place your order. |
For more information contact Peggy Rourke at prourke@beacon-therapeutic.org or (773) 298-6441.
Beacon partners in successful 100,000 homes campaign
Beacon has partnered with the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, and the Corporation for Supportive Housing in the 100,000 Homes Campaign here in Chicago, which finds stable housing for the city's most vulnerable people.
Innovative Program Helps At-risk Moms, Kids Avoid Homelessness
Toughest cases helped by collaborative, unique service modelFor more information
Contact: Jenny Brandhorst jbrandhorst@beacon-therapeutic.org
773-298-6444
Chicago, November 30, 2011— It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a targeted combination of cooperative support services to assist young homeless mothers to rise above a multitude of debilitating circumstances. This is what Beacon Therapeutic and its partner Heartland Alliance found when they conducted a three-year study to help at-risk mothers and their children rise from poverty, mental illness and domestic abuse.
Beacon Therapeutic, in collaboration with Heartland Alliance, hosted a forum for interested and involved organizations, funders, and stakeholders on its successful Family Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) program in early November to share highlights and results of recent FACT study findings.
Initiated in 2008, FACT enrolled participants for the program, the majority of whom were never married, unemployed and raising two or more small children. The participants were 18-25 years old at the time of enrollment. A third of them were living in a shelter with their children and nearly all had received mental health services prior to enrollment in FACT, with the most common diagnosis being depression; 45 percent had attempted suicide.
“FACT demonstrated that a coordinated approach using this model could reduce the impact of homelessness on child development,” said Susan Reyna-Guerrero, LCSW, President and CEO of Beacon Therapeutic. “By stabilizing many of the conflicting impacts on these young mothers including joblessness, mental health and substance issues, we were able to have an effect on both the mothers and their children, thus grounding the basic family unit.”
Highlights of the FACT study results included:
- Significant increases in the number of days living in their own homes (e.g., own apartments);
- Significant decreases in the number and extent to which they experienced mental health symptoms including depressive symptoms;
- Significant decreases in the severity and number of PTSD symptoms;
- Significant decreases in level and feelings of overall parental stress (parenting incompetence);
One of the key lessons learned from the FACT program was the value and importance of “systems integration.” Many child welfare, educational, mental health and legal systems can play a role in the success or failure of young mothers struggling against homelessness and instability; each has something to offer, but coordination is essential. Through coalition building efforts FACT demonstrated the value of bringing disparate groups together –systems and service organizations—to advocate on behalf of these young women and their children, align services provided, cross train staff and conduct early interventions on behalf of the target population. FACT was the driving force behind the formation of a coalition aimed at involving decision-makers across the various systems that have an impact on this hard-to-reach group of young mothers.
FACT is based on ACT (Assertive Community Treatment), a program proved to be both cost effective as well as clinically successful serving people at risk. Beacon, together with partner Heartland Alliance, links at-risk families to housing, jobs, treatment, education, healthcare and financial support. The FACT program was evaluated by the University of Illinois at Chicago Center for Mental Health Services Research and Policy along with Beacon’s Continuous Quality Improvement department.
FACT received funding from Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and the National Center on Family Homelessness with additional support from local funders including the McCormick Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Prince Charitable Foundation and the Chicago Department of Family Support Services.
Team effort offers winning approach to aiding young moms
Social service collaboration offers counseling, housing help and moreBy Manya A. Brachear, Chicago Tribune reporter
November 16, 2011
By the time Brandy Johnson aged out of state housing for former foster children, she had a child of her own.
With no job and nowhere to live, she worried that it was only a matter of time before her daughter would be taken away and become a ward of the state as well.
"I wasn't ready," said Johnson, now 22. "I kept saying I was, but I really wasn't. … Because of the things that happened when I was young, I was scared to live on my own."
Her transitional housing provider referred her to FACT, or Family Assertive Community Treatment, a program designed in 2008 by Beacon Therapeutic Diagnostic and Treatment Center to help young mothers like Johnson make life better for their children.
Through a collaboration of six social service agencies, FACT offers a range of services, including child development training, substance abuse treatment, trauma counseling, housing and employment assistance, and case management — to mothers 18 to 25 years old who have at least one child 5 or younger and face the prospect of homelessness.
Each of the 70 families and 140 children in the program meets with a multidisciplinary team at least once a week. Like Johnson, about half of the mothers have come out of the state's child welfare system.
"Most of the families we received through the program, if not for us they would be exiting to a homeless situation because their needs are so complex," said Susan Reyna-Guerrero, president and CEO of Beacon Therapeutic. "The goal is to get them stable in permanent housing, through various traumas they have, focusing on the children, focusing on the mom, focusing on the family and working with the system."
Beacon Therapeutic is one of many nonprofits to receive financial support from Chicago Tribune Holiday Giving, a campaign of Chicago Tribune Charities, a McCormick Foundation Fund.
The collaborative approach has drastically increased how long the participants live in their own homes and significantly reduced symptoms of depression, post-traumatic stress and mental disorders, according to research at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Center on Mental Health Services Research and Policy.
Reyna-Guerrero added that no mothers in the program have lost custody of their children to the state. Despite delays when they entered the program, all children in the program who have been evaluated have reached benchmarks in terms of their development, she said.
The program helps mothers meet their goals too. Employment assessments help them find jobs or pursue education.
Reyna-Guerrero's eyes well up with tears when she recalls the resilience, devotion and sense of shame shared by many of the moms she has met.
"Being able to tap into that strength that these moms have — it's there," she said. "I think it's our responsibility to help them really develop it further. I think that's what we're doing today."
Kathy Daniher, FACT's project director, said the teamwork approach makes a difference for clients who have a history of broken promises.
"You can't do anything with a participant until they trust you," Daniher said. "All the different areas of expertise that come with this specific model, it builds the trust with the participant a lot easier and gives them so many more resources. … It's easier to be able to take a step back yourself when you just need a break for a little while because you know you have the support of a team."
Indeed, Johnson had difficulty immediately trusting the team of experts with whom she meets twice a week. Abandoned by her mother at a young age and abused, she had no family support network to help her raise her daughter, Makya.
"At first it was really hard to talk about my situation," Johnson said. "They've helped me to be more open with what happened to me and to realize it wasn't my fault and to know things will get better no matter what happens."
Johnson is working toward her GED and hopes to enroll in culinary school so she can one day open a restaurant named after her daughter.
"Me having Makya really helped me teach her the things I did not know and to help her to become something I've never been," she said. "I'd like to be a real good mother to her and to let her know I'm here for her no matter what. And let her know we can talk about anything because that's a relationship I did not have with my mother."
Beacon Therapeutic helps clients, staff “call it quits”
Smoke-Free workplace policies to be implemented at all Beacon locationsChicago, IL – September 1, 2011 – Beacon Therapeutic, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering at-risk children and families in Chicago, is helping its staff and clients “call it quits” when it comes to cigarettes and tobacco use. Through its partnership with the Chicago Tobacco Prevention Project, an effort led by the Chicago Department of Public Health and Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago, all four of Beacon Therapeutic’s locations will be going smoke-free effective September 1, 2011.
“Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. With the implementation of our smoke-free campuses policy, we can provide a healthier environment. Overall, we have received extremely positive responses from our clients and staff,” said Susan Reyna-Guerrero, president and CEO of Beacon Therapeutic.
The new smoke-free policy prohibits staff, clients and visitors from smoking on all Beacon Therapeutic owned property. To support this transition, Beacon began communicating the new policy months in advance and encouraged staff and clients who smoke to seek smoking cessation services.
In addition to its new smoke-free campus policy, Beacon Therapeutic also offers Courage to Quit, an adult smoking cessation program, to help its clients and staff reach their smoke-free goals. Courage to Quit is based on the work of Dr. Andrea King, a University of Chicago psychologist, and provides information, support and practice skills to class participants.
“The adoption of smoke free policies is a key strategy in Healthy Chicago, our new city-wide public health agenda,” said Bechara Choucair M.D., commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health. “Smoke-free policies are among the most effective strategies to reduce smoking and particularly effective in encouraging smoking cessation among vulnerable populations. We commend Beacon Therapeutic for its leadership in helping our city reach its goal of becoming the healthiest city in the nation.”
WCIU highlights Beacon's "Courage To Quit" program
WCIU highlighted Beacon Therapeutic's "Courage To Quit" program on Monday, August 8, 2011 at 6:55am. All four of Beacon Therapeutic's locations are going smoke-free beginning September 1, 2011. The Courage To Quit initiative is a result of Beacon's partnership with the Respiratory Health Association's Chicago Tobacco Prevention Project.
Match the Match
Help Beacon meet its $15,000 homeless outreach services Challenge Grant target! YOU can “Match the Match” by making a contribution today. Every dollar donated will be matched up to $15,000 – no amount is too big or too small when making a difference in the life of a homeless child.
You can make your donation online. Please enter "Match the Match" in the space on the form labeled "Designation." Thank You!
Beacon profiled in The Villager
"May 2011 – For certain children in and around Beverly/Morgan Park, Beacon Therapeutic Day School is more than a place to learn. It is a refuge. Located at 10650 S. Longwood Dr., the school is one arm of the larger Beacon Therapeutic Diagnostic and Treatment Center, which provides education and mental health services to children ages 2 through 18 and their families...Read full article
Beacon Therapeutic & the National Runaway Switchboard are working together in “keeping America’s runaway and at-risk youth safe and off the streets”
The National Runaway Switchboard (NRS) and Beacon Therapeutic are teaming up in an effort to strengthen Chicago services for runaway, homeless and at-risk youth and to ensure appropriate, safe services.
NRS Services include:
- 24-hour telephone crisis intervention, conference calls, message relay and information and referral services to youth and families in and around Chicago
- Community-based referrals for information and direct services for youth and families
- Access to the Home Free family reunification program, conducted in collaboration with Greyhound Lines, Inc., to youth in and around Chicago and provide consultation and support to qualifying youth during the youth’s journey home
Call 1-800-RUNAWAY (1-800-786-2929) for assistance or visit the National Runaway Switchboard website for more information.
Beacon Therapeutic Stomping Out Hunger and Homelessness in Chicago
The Beacon “Meltaways” participate in the Pound For Pound ChallengeThe Beacon Therapeutic “Meltaways” are ringing in the New Year by pledging to lose weight in the Pound For Pound Challenge, a national campaign to stomp out hunger and homelessness. For every pound pledged by the Beacon Therapeutic “Meltaways”, 11 cents goes to the Greater Chicago Food Depository (www.chicagosfoodbank.org). Beacon Therapeutic and numerous non-profit organizations are rallying behind this Challenge in hopes of receiving the much needed funds to help feed the starving people in Chicago.
“Chicago is a magnificent city with countless attractions, however, we continue to suffer from severe poverty, hunger and homelessness. We at Beacon Therapeutic are humbled to be part of the struggle against hunger and homelessness. Together, we can make Chicago a city free of poverty and homelessness,” stated Susan Reyna-Guerrero, LCSW, President & CEO of Beacon Therapeutic Diagnostic and Treatment Center.
For the third consecutive year, Feeding America and NBC’s The Biggest Loser are partnering to encourage Americans to lose weight through the Pound For Pound Challenge. Built around the incredible success of The Biggest Loser, the program allows anyone to shed pounds along with the show’s contestants by pledging their weight-loss goals at www.pfpchallenge.com.
“Most people take eating for granted when there are families in our Chicago neighborhoods who are struggling and lucky to find even a morsel of food to get through the day. The Pound For Pound Challenge is a means for us to help those less fortunate. It’s a win-win Challenge. We pledge to lose weight while helping feed those who would otherwise have nothing,” said Latonia Watson, Co-Captain of the Beacon Therapeutic “Meltaways” team.
