Black Family Development, Inc. Project AWARE - Black Family Development Inc. (BFDI) is proposing to expand Detroit Public School Community District’s (DPSCD’s) well established mental health services and support to improve the networks response to risk factors associated with suicide to include addressing social determinates of health, reducing public stigma related to receiving mental health services and enhancing protective factors to mitigate the risk of suicide including the impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences through Detroit AWARE. On average, 10,000 students in 27 schools within DPSCD will have access to Detroit AWARE each funded year. Two (2) of the highest racial/ethnic student populations within DPSCD are Black/African American (82%) and Hispanic/Latinx (13.6%). Seventy-eight percent of students are eligible for free and/or reduced lunch wherein the city of Detroit has a 33.2% poverty rate. From a recent survey of students, it was determined that approximately 18% of the student body identifies as LGBTQIA. In a recent survey, 14% of DPSCD students responded as having experienced homelessness during the past year and 24% of students do not feel safe traveling to school. In addition, people of color are more likely to experience health and mental health difficulties and have a heightened risk of suicide. BFDI’s mission is to strengthen and enhance the lives of children, youth, and families through partnerships that support safe, nurturing, vibrant homes, schools, and communities. Aligning with BFDI’s mission, the following goals of Detroit AWARE will be achieved through a collaborative partnership with DPSCD, Michigan Department of Education, and Michigan Department of Human Services: Goal 1: Increase awareness of suicide prevention and behavioral health concerns amongst school-aged youth to reduce stigma and normalize seeking out support. Goal 2: Decrease suicidal ideations and self-harmful behaviors amongst school-aged youth with strength-based prevention and behavioral health treatment service supports. Goal 3: Increase mental health literacy with behavioral health education training and support to individuals who interact with school-aged youth. Goal 4: Increase culturally relevant behavioral health services and support that are provided to school-aged youth and families through diverse partnerships that foster wellness. Based upon each school-aged youth’s individual needs, BFDI uses the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and Patient Health Question (PHQ-9) to determine the right pathway/level of care for school-aged youth. The three-tiered public health model for Detroit AWARE will be executed using eight (8) distinct interventions to include Screening, Prevention (including Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools), Treatment, Parent Workshop, Crisis Intervention, Referrals, Coordination of Care and Professional Development, including providing educators with Question, Persuade Refer (QPR Evidence-based suicide prevention training). BFDI’s mission emphasizes the importance of partnerships to elevate families to achieve strong outcomes. These relationships are to include community groups, peer support services, behavioral health support, and local businesses.
