Friendship House Native Connections Project - The Friendship House Native Connections Project will address the high risk for suicide and substance misuse among Urban AI/AN youth ages 12-24 in San Francisco. The Friendship House Association of American Indians (“Friendship House”) is an Urban Indian Organization that operates a long-standing Youth Program (“FHYP”) that integrates mental health promotion, suicide prevention, and substance misuse prevention. Traditional practices, ceremonies and cultural connections through the FHYP promote self-expression, reflection, and de-stigmatization around these issues for Urban AI/AN youth. The total addressable population for this project is 1,742 AI/AN youth and young adults (ages 12-24) living in San Francisco. These groups are typically under-counted and difficult to reach. Through our partnership with the Indian Education Program of the SF Unified School District, the FHYP will expand its outreach to AI/AN students in 13 middle schools and 14 high schools (ages 12-17). AI/AN young adults ages 18-24 will be reached through their previous participation in the FHYP, younger siblings, local colleges and universities, and non-Native programs that serve transition-age youth. Through our partnership with the Native American Health Center, we will implement screenings, wellness checks and referrals to treatment for AI/AN youth and young adults. This increased access to culturally-connected programming, screenings, and interventions will directly address disparities facing Urban AI/AN youth and the higher risk factors relating to suicide, mental health and substance misuse. Our proposed project builds upon the formative work of our previous Native Connections grant from September 2017 – 2022, during which we successfully implemented many of the required activities. This new project will enable Friendship House to revisit and revise our community needs assessment, community readiness assessment, and strategic action plan by reconstituting our Community Advisory Committee. This project will further engage youth, families, systems, service providers, and community partners to elevate the need to reduce suicidal behavior and substance misuse among Urban AI/AN youth. Our community-wide public health approach that includes culturally-based interventions and practices will take root over the next 5 years. In doing so, it can be sustained in years to follow and will also serve as a model of best practices for other Urban AI/AN communities. The following are goals and measurable objectives of our proposed project: Goal 1: Increase cultural connections among Urban AI/AN youth Objective 1a: The percentage of AI/AN youth in our catchment area invited to participate in the FHYP will grow from 50% (n=870) in Year 1 to 90% (n=1570) in Year 5 Objective 1b: The percentage of AI/AN youth that enroll in the FHYP after being invited will grow from 25% (n=220) in Year 1 to 75% (n=1180) in Year 5 Objective 1c: By the end of Year 1, AI/AN youth will form a leadership council Goal 2: Increase surveillance of Urban AI/AN youth to identify risk factors that warrant early intervention Objective 2a: 100% of enrolled youth will be screened for mental health and substance misuse risks Objective 2b: 100% of youth that require behavioral health care will be referred for treatment Objective 2c: By the end of Year 1, 100% of youth will have access to a peer support groups or mentors Goal 3: Improve community care coordination for Urban AI/AN youth Objective 3a: 100% of parents and guardians of enrolled youth will provide consent and be invited to participate in youth-oriented community gatherings Objective 3b: By the end of Year 1, we will reconvene a Community Advisory Committee
