ACF Banner

Program Implementation

Tips to Implementation: By supplementing and leveraging Federal, State, and local government resources with faith community resources, families and individuals are able to receive services and comprehensive resources through a streamlined process. The Department of Social Services recognizes the need to allow churches and faith–based partners to maintain autonomy in determining what services to offer. In other words, churches are asked What do you do best? and How can Faith Connections partner with what you do best to meet the needs of our community?

Keys to Success:

  • Fiscal activities that are separate from program services. By having Department of Social Services staff maintain fiscal responsibilities, the Faith Connections program coordinator can focus on collaborations with the faith–based community.
  • An efficient referral system that allows for maximum accountability. Faith Connections tracks each client's intake form to show what services, resources, and programs the client has received. Faith Connections submits a monthly report to the faith partners summarizing the services, resources, and programs provided.
  • Knowledgeable staff. The Faith Connections program coordinator has been critical to the success of the program.
  • Physical location of the program. By locating Faith Connections at an off–site building (Career Plus Self Sufficiency Center) and not at the Department of Social Services, the program has become more accessible to clients, services, and faith partners. The center emphasizes self–sufficiency, providing services on public housing, career advancement, job retention, child abuse/prevention, day care, financial literacy, office mentoring, and asset building programs/services, including a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program that prepares taxes at no cost to families based on family’s income.
  • Emphasis on helping one individual at a time. Faith Connections does not believe in handouts but in teaching families and individuals responsibility while helping them through crisis.