Project Homeward Bound
Project Homeward Bound is a program created by The Michael Bolton Charities and the Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) to assist homeless women and their children.
The Michael Bolton Charities (MBC) has supported YCSC's efforts to build and sustain community collaborations on behalf of homeless families to assist them in the transition from shelter living to the establishment of permanent, safe housing in the community. The program is designed to work towards stability and safety for children and to help mothers to understand and address their needs in order to prevent poor developmental and cognitive outcomes. The MBC has made it possible for the YCSC to provide a clinical team consisting of a social worker and a family support worker who offer a comprehensive approach to the complex issues associated with homelessness. Services provided by the team include evaluation, assessment, case management, advocacy, clinical and substance abuse counseling, referral to other community resources, brief treatment, parent counseling, parenting skills training and domestic violence services. YCSC begins the process of engagement with families while they are still at the shelter and continue to work with the family post discharge to assist in the transition to secure permanent housing. The team is able to remain involved with the family for as long as needed to regain a more stable and predictable level of functioning. In the year 2000, Project Homeward Bound served 52 children and 18 homeless families in the New Haven, Connecticut area.