2022 COMBAT Funding: $28,419.00

In Newhouse's Own Words

Newhouse is an 88-bed emergency shelter facility offering safe housing and critical supportive services to domestic violence victims and their children. For over 49 years, Newhouse has remained dedicated to its mission to break the cycle of domestic violence by providing the tools that allow individuals and families to make positive changes and lead self-sufficient lives. 

The Children’s Substance-Use Prevent program further enhances the long-term goal to empower children to break the cycle of violence and substance-use, key underlying sources of fatal domestic violence incidents. The program is based on the Learning For Life curriculum and will be incorporated into Newhouse's K-6 school and preschool, as well as family bonding activities.

Further, our Children’s Case Manager and Children’s Therapists can incorporate said programming into therapeutic and other child peer group activities. And our adult/child Therapists, Case Managers and Recovery Counselor will add new tools from this curriculum to their coordinate of services for children with multiple risk factors.

In 2019, 223 children called Newhouse home for a period of time after fleeing domestic violence with a parent—76% were 9 years old or younger. 

Breaking The Cycle Of Violence

Typically the children we see in shelter come from situations with numerous known risk factors, primarily of family violence, poverty, low social cohesion, and high crime living areas. Our purpose is to use the Substance-Use Prevention Program to foster resiliency in the children we see in shelter and ultimately aid them in breaking the cycle of violence in their lives. 

Expected Outcomes

Expected process outcomes of the Substance-Use Prevention Program include: 

• Newhouse assigned staff member (“Prevention Leader”) will purchase the additional supplemental materials for the Learning for Life Substance-Abuse Prevention Program and the necessary art supplies to complete the weekly activities within the first quarter of the grant cycle; 
• 90% of children enrolled in participating programs in the Children’s Program will take part in Substance-Use Prevention activities throughout the year-long grant period; 
• 75% of children participating in Substance-Use Prevention activities will demonstrate an understanding of the lessons highlighted in their age-appropriate sessions; 
• and 75% of parents of children participating in Substance-Use Prevention activities will complete a Family Activity with their children as part of their age-appropriate prevention session. 

The outcomes objectives we expect to reach include: 

• 85% of children participating in Substance-Use Prevention activities will demonstrate an increase in knowledge of the lessons in their age-appropriate sessions;
• 75% of parents of children participating in Substance-Use Prevention activities will demonstrate an understanding of substance-abuse prevention activities they can complete with their children and the importance of doing so; 
• and the prevention leader will continue to modify and adapt the Learning for Life program and supplemental materials throughout the year to establish a Newhouse version of the curriculum, which will be subject to future changes as the cultural needs of our clients shift. 

The above objectives will be analyzed by Newhouse CEO per the reports compiled by our Quality Analysis Coordinator who will extract the necessary data APRICOT (our online confidential client services database) tracking the client participation rate, Prevention Leader scale notes of the child (and parent) comprehensive, child therapists noting increase character-building skills, and parent’s satisfaction surveys.