Project RISE (Recovery through Information, Support and Engagement) is a three-year grant funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. It is a collaboration of the Institute for Health and Recovery with CAB Health and Recovery Services, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services, the Bureau of Family and Community Health (F.O.R. Families), and the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance/Housing Unit.

While permanent, affordable housing is often the primary goal for homeless women and their families, sometimes it is only one solution to many unresolved problems. For some, substance abuse plays a crucial role in prohibiting the family from obtaining and maintaining stable housing. It is believed that 30-60% of homeless families struggle with addiction issues. These stresses, if left unaddressed, will not go away. Therefore, homeless women struggling with addiction issues may need more support to create a safe environment in which their families can live. Homeless parents often have a long list of daily living needs and addressing substance use may not feel like a priority. But it is our hope that by expanding and strengthening access to substance abuse treatment for homeless women and their children, we will participate in addressing these needs and help families end the cycle of homelessness.

Project RISE reaches out to "at risk" homeless women who are temporarily housed in DTA funded welfare motels and emergency family shelters in the North Shore area and in motels in Brookline and Boston, Massachusetts. While a variety of services in the North Shore are available, frequently their systems can be overwhelming for homeless families. For example, to participate in treatment, a woman often must first go through a formal intake process. This process can be difficult since the woman may have to admit to a substance abuse problem and make a commitment to treatment. Many individuals and families are not ready to enter treatment, but with the support of treatment providers and Project RISE, they have the opportunity to learn about their addiction and move forward.

Project RISE utilizes a clinical case management model. The case managers are called Family Care Coordinators (FCC). The Family Shelter staff and FOR Families (the DPH/DTA home visiting team working within the welfare motel system) screen women for risk of substance abuse, using the 4P's screening tool, as well as "common sense." The tool asks about problems related to past use, present use, parents' use, and partners' use. A "yes" answer to any question results in a referral to an FCC for assessment after a woman has signed a release of information form giving permission for the referral to be made. "Common sense" is used when a home visitor or shelter staff person "senses" there is drug or alcohol abuse in the family, even if a woman answer no to the 4P's questionnaire. Shelter staff and FOR Families introduce the FCC to the families, while a Child Care Specialist attends to the woman's children. Using an engagement philosophy, the FCC conducts assessments, facilitates links to community-based resources, and provides intensive case management, referral, integrated service planning, and follow-up for up to two years.

Project RISE is family-focused, consumer-empowering, culturally relevant, and gender-specific in its support of homeless women and their families. In addition to improving access to substance abuse treatment, the project hopes to decrease substance use, decrease trauma-related and mental health symptoms, improve the health of all family members, reduce the risk of HIV infection, increase housing stability, increase family safety, and increase interagency collaboration.