Thursday, April 3, 2025
4/3/2025
Journey to Independence - Project Abstract Summary PACT for Families Collaborative (PACT), was established in 1993 as a Children's Mental Health and Family Services organization serving five rural Minnesota counties. PACT proposes Journey to Independence (JTI) to support youth ages 14-21 who have emerging mental health issues, or are at risk for SED/SMI diagnoses, while also offering support for their parents. PACT will employ the Transition to Independence Planning (TIP) Model® and engage in collaboration with essential community resources, mental health providers, and policymakers. JTI will provide services to 108 unduplicated youth throughout the four-year project term. With our existing JTI program operating at full capacity, this proposal will extend our services to include youth aged 14 and 15, while maintaining support for those aged 16 to 21. We will serve 27 unduplicated youth in the first year and maintain this number annually for years two through four. Project staff and collaborative partners will develop early identification protocol, providing early intervention to help prevent emerging mental health issues from progressing to SED/SMI diagnoses. Project staff will assist youth in developing greater social and emotional skills to enhance self-sufficiency and independence while emphasizing the role of parents/guardians in guiding and supporting their youth through the transition to adulthood. Using the TIP Model® and Vroon MiiWrap ® Wraparound, the project will utilize in-person coaching throughout five domains, including employment, education, housing, life skills, and wellness to enhance the youth and young adult participants coping skills and effectively prepare them for transition. Ensuring these youth receive wraparound support, JTI focuses on enhancing the skills and capacities of parents to support their youth/young adults through one-to-one support, education, and resource navigation. JTI proposes to serve 300 parents/guardians over the four years through the implementation of an educational seminar series, one to one support sessions, community outreach through correspondence and social media, and by facilitating parent networking groups and educational opportunities. We will help our participants learn about mental health and community resources that can be shared to support parents, learn about providers and staff involved with the project. This proposal will leverage PACT’s Five County Local Children’s Mental Health Advisory Council (LAC) to establish a subcommittee that will serve as the JTI Advisory Committee. This committee will be dedicated to collecting data and proposing strategies aimed at addressing service delivery gaps and funding shortfalls, with the overarching goal of enhancing the system of care across the five-county service region. Putting sustainability at the heart of this project reinforces PACT’s commitment to changing the system of care as it exists today, thereby demonstrating to rural Minnesota communities how they can support this vulnerable population. JTI represents an approach to service delivery and wraparound support aimed at reducing SED/SMI diagnoses among rural youth. By increasing resilience, strengthening parent-child bonds, and advocating for community involvement, we aim to transform the current service system model. This initiative seeks to demonstrate the value of investing resources in addressing crucial life transitions, ultimately sustaining positive system changes indefinitely.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).