A Two-Level Community Intervention Model for Homeless Mothers with Mental Health or Substance Abuse Disorders.

This paper describes a two-tiered community intervention model in response to a call from the Center for Mental Health Services for the development of best-practice strategies for homeless mothers with mental health and/or substance use disorders and their children. This model incorporates best practice principles gained from previous research projects pitched at the system and client levels. The model has been conceptualized, presented, and funded by CMHS and is currently being implemented in a local community. This model is unique in that it develops an intervention that addresses both levels of service delivery (i.e., system and client) in a single project. Blending systems integration/wraparound service philosophy and consumer-driven/ strength-based development approaches provides a model that encompasses interventions at the individual client level via supported case management, and improved coordination and collaboration at the service system level. While this model was developed for a specific community population, the approach is general in its applicability to other areas of practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]