Sabrina & Lindsey
The holidays can be an especially difficult time for children and families in crisis, so we do whatever we can at Providence House to bring our wonderful families some joy this time of year. Here’s a glimpse at how we celebrate!
As a single parent of an infant, Sabrina needed a safe, enriching environment for her daughter, Lindsey, as she received inpatient treatment for a mental health crisis. Sabrina found Providence House and chose to have Lindsey stay with us so she could focus on her treatment.
During her time in our Crisis Nursery, Lindsey participated in fun holiday activities with our Childcare Providers and engaging on-site children’s programs like music classes provided by Beck Center for the Arts. She met Santa during his annual visit to the House and reached exciting milestones during her stay, such as sitting up with less support and lifting her body on all fours in preparation for crawling!
While Lindsey’s mom, Sabrina, was in treatment, she engaged in case management and parent education services with our Social Workers, who connected her with additional mental health resources and workforce development programming.
We made sure Lindsay and Sabrina could celebrate Christmas together and spend some time in our private family rooms at Providence House. We provided gifts, gift cards for food, and bus passes so they could have a special holiday.
Shortly after Christmas, Lindsey was reunited with her mom, who was able to increase stability for their future by working with Providence House!
Beverly & Raya
Single mom, Beverly, needed to undergo an inpatient medical observation so she could begin treatment for Narcolepsy, but did not have anyone to care for her 3-year-old daughter Raya while she was in the hospital.
Single mom, Beverly, needed to undergo an inpatient medical observation so she could begin treatment for Narcolepsy, but did not have anyone to care for her 3-year-old daughter Raya while she was in the hospital. She trusted Providence House to care for Raya in the loving environment of our Crisis Nursery.
During her time with us, Raya enjoyed playing outside on our playground, stacking blocks, and working on art projects – all while enhancing her gross and fine motor skills!
Thanks to the support of Providence House, Beverly was able to get the medical care she needed to prioritize her health and enhance stability for her and Raya’s future.
Beverly reunited with Raya after her hospital stay and shared that Raya felt very loved and well taken care of by our Childcare Team!
Jean & Roberto
Roberto came to Providence House after being hospitalized for lead exposure. For toddlers like Roberto, lead exposure can be harmful to their growth, behavior, and ability to learn.
Roberto came to Providence House after being hospitalized for lead exposure. For toddlers like Roberto, lead exposure can be harmful to their growth, behavior, and ability to learn.
While staying with us at Providence House, Roberto enjoyed interacting with the other children, going on field trips, and engaging in imaginative play! And he received the care he needed in a safe, lead-free environment.
By bringing Roberto to Providence House, his grandmother, Jean, was able to work with the Lead Clinic at MetroHealth Medical Center, and the Cuyahoga County Board of Health to ensure the lead abatement of their home was completed.
When Roberto was ready to go home, his lead level had decreased by nearly 90%!
Despite all of his obstacles, Roberto continued to be bright, happy, and playful, and we were so glad to support him and his family!
Destiny & Michael
Destiny reached out to Providence House after her teenage son, Michael, was assaulted by their neighbor. She needed to move her family somewhere safe and help Michael through his traumatic experience.
Destiny reached out to Providence House after her teenage son, Michael, was assaulted by their neighbor.
She needed to move her family somewhere safe and help Michael through his traumatic experience.
Since all of the Family Shelters were full, Destiny brought her younger children to stay in the safe, loving environment of our Crisis Nursery while she worked to find a new home for her family.
While Destiny’s younger children were safe and cared for at Providence House, our Social Work Team helped refer Michael to support services, including connecting him with the Children Who Witness Violence Program.
With the support of Providence House, Destiny secured a safe, new home for her family, and our Social Work Team referred her to our friends at Humble Design who helped furnish it!
When her family reunited, Destiny told us, “I am very appreciative for all the help and support from Providence House and cannot thank them enough.
At times, I felt like there was no hope, but Nora(her Providence House Social Worker) always spoke positively, listened, and helped me get through things that my family and I endured. I am forever grateful.”
Pamela, Cameron & Carter
Pamela and her sons, Cameron, age 5, and Carter, age 3, were homeless and living in a hotel when she reached out to Providence House for support.
Pamela and her sons, Cameron, age 5, and Carter, age 3, were homeless and living in a hotel when she reached out to Providence House for support.
Cameron and Carter came to stay in our Crisis Nursery while our Social Work Team helped Pamela address her trauma symptoms, secure stable housing for her family, and receive SNAP Benefits to assist with groceries.
During their stay at Providence House, Cameron and Carter enjoyed music, theatre, and art therapy and lots of love and snuggles from our Childcare Staff. Carter made great progress with his language and cognitive development thanks to interventions provided by our Social Workers and Child Development Specialist, who also helped enroll him in school!
The boys soon reunited with their mom, Pamela, in their new home and Providence House provided bedding and household supplies to help them get settled. Their family will continue receiving support through our year-long Aftercare Program including gifts for the boys to enjoy for the holidays!
Children's Voice Magazine - Breaking the Cycle by Supporting Families in Crisis
Children's Voice Magazine - Breaking the Cycle by Supporting Families in Crisis
Author: Natalie Leek, Providence House President & CEO
Published in Children’s Voice, Volume 34, Number 2
by Natalie Leek
Providence House in Cleveland, Ohio, has kept more than 16,000 children safe and families together through its innovative, nationally recognized Family Preservation Crisis Nursery model—a model that is gaining momentum in sharing its expertise and vision with child welfare advocates across the country.
With 44 years of success as one of the nation’s largest and longest-running licensed and accredited crisis nurseries, Providence House has expanded it reach outside of its local community to help others bring these lifechanging services to families in crisis. Their mission is to keep kids safe and families together by embracing them with support that strengthens communities. In the last 10 years, 98% of families who received Providence House support prevented foster care placements and stayed together. Providence House does this by providing free, voluntary, 24/7 emergency shelter and care in a safe, licensed, homelike environment to children zero through 12 whose families are experiencing crisis. While their children stay in the crisis nursery, parents and guardians receive holistic support and resources to enhance parenting skills and build personal and economic stability.
All crisis nurseries offer emergency care to children, but what makes Providence House unique is its focus on family support and intervention to address the root causes of crisis and establish connections to ongoing resources. Providence House social workers form a relationship of trust to understand the challenges each family is facing; determine how to best support them through trauma screenings or counseling; and connect them to more than 100 community partners to help them gain employment, secure safe housing, receive medical care, address sobriety or mental health challenges, and more. Families involved in Providence House programs and services are more likely to experience increases in employment, income, housing permanency, educational attainment, and reduction in the likelihood of their children entering foster care.
Nearly 80% of Providence House parents self-refer, were themselves involved in the child welfare system as young people, and are reaching out to break this cycle for their own children. By helping these parents and preventing foster care placements, Providence House saves millions of public dollars in foster care costs by unifying families. And that unification lasts—a research study conducted by Case Western Reserve University found that 82% of its families stayed together long-term (Crampton & Yoon, 2016).
To expand the impact of the evidence-based Providence House model, the organization launched the Center for Crisis Nurseries in 2020 to connect with organizations currently doing this work or interested in learning more, to educate on transformative impact of family preservation crisis nurseries, and to share resources and best practices. Under the leadership of Providence House, the Center is now an international group of 250 members across the United States and Canada who convene to advocate for and advance the crisis nursery model. Because of its reputation as a national leader in child welfare, Providence House continually receives requests for consultation or replication of its services in other communities. It was recently contracted by San Antonio, Texas to lead a feasibility study to bring the first crisis nursery to the city. This study and continued work builds on a longstanding relationship with San Antonio and will help ensure more children and families in crisis can benefit from support services focused on early intervention, foster care prevention, and enhancing family strength and stability.
Because of its reputation as a national leader in child welfare, Providence House continually receives requests for consultation or replication of its services in other communities. It was recently contracted by San Antonio, Texas to lead a feasibility study to bring the first crisis nursery to the city. This study and continued work builds on a longstanding relationship with San Antonio and will help ensure more children and families in crisis can benefit from support services focused on early intervention, foster care prevention, and enhancing family strength and stability.
As it creates opportunities across the country, Providence House also remains committed to continuing to effect change at home. This summer, the State of Ohio approved funding for Providence House to conduct a statewide feasibility study with the Every Child Ohio initiative. This work will identify communities outside of Greater Cleveland that are prepared to support a Family Preservation Crisis Nursery to address the state’s foster care crisis by further reducing the number of children entering foster care across the state and keeping more Ohio children safe and families together.
Anyone who is interested in learning more about how the Providence House model is transforming approaches to keeping kids safe and families together, or joining the Center for Crisis Nurseries Community, is encouraged to visit crisisnurseries.org or contact info@crisisnurseries.org.
Natalie Leek has 30 years of corporate and nonprofit experience. As the president and CEO of Providence House for nearly 24 years, she has quadrupled the organization’s service capacity and revenues, and positioned Providence House as a nationally recognized leader in child abuse prevention, family preservation, and foster care prevention. A thought leader, educator, and advocate at the state and national level on child welfare issues and policy barriers impacting families in poverty, Natalie has served on a number of nonprofit boards, is a regular presenter and lecturer at local and national conferences and universities, and consults with a range of interested parties across the United States who strive to adopt the unique program model she has developed at Providence House.
Reference
Crampton, D., & Yoon, S. (2016). Crisis nursery services and foster care prevention: An exploratory study. Children and Youth Services Review, 61, 311-316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.01.001
