ECHO - EDUCATION, COMMUNITY, HEALTH, OPPORTUNITY

Echoes reverberate.  They bring smiles to faces and brighten the eyes of the most skeptical.  An echo asks a listener to lean in, and then asks that same listener to respond with her or his own voice.  Echoes require both listening and response.  This is ECHO (Education, Community, Health, and Opportunity) – a deeper dive into a relationship with residents with affirming and enduring outcomes. 

METHODOLOGIES

  • Asset Based Community Development (ABCD)

    Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) – A strategy for developing community by recognizing that all residents and communities have assets (i.e., gifts, strengths, abilities, etc.) no matter what the socio-economic situation. These assets are then organized in such a way that residents and communities can improve their local living situation.  Residents identify what they want for their communities and what assets they have so this vision can be implemented.  Staff members from Family Services support residents as the residents use their assets to work toward their goals of building safer, more stable and healthier communities.  ABCD also recognizes that the surrounding neighborhood has assets that can contribute to the quality of life at a property and for individual residents.

  • Trauma Informed Community Building (TICB)

    Trauma Informed Community Building (TICB) - TICB begins at the nexus of community and individual trauma, the need for healing, and the hope of a better future. Here, hope is not simply a feeling of aspiration; rather, hope is the action that communities engage in to find restoration by opening up to a common history and experience of trauma in such a way that builds the social fabric.  Residents are given space to explore these communal traumas and the systems that all-too-often perpetuate them. Healthy and meaningful creative expressions provide an outlet to re-contextualize trauma in restorative and healing stories.

PROGRAMS

E – Education 

Promote community partnerships to connect residents to various organizations and agencies in the community that will provide educational resources, support, and opportunities to residents. 


C – Community 

Promote relationship building among residents, and staff members and residents with the goal of fostering a deeper sense of community. Provide space for residents to take on leadership roles.  Provide space for residents to discuss various topics and express their opinions.  Promote various strengths residents possess and utilize them toward strengthening the community. 


H – Health 

Promote community health and well-being of residents as part of the healing process. Connect with community partners and organizations to provide resources, education, and services related to health and wellness including physical health, mental health, nutrition, and exercise. 


O – Opportunity 

Provide opportunities to residents to grow and thrive in the community. Connect with community organizations to provide resources, education, and services for residents in employment, financial opportunities, and mainstream benefits.