My grant proposal focuses on a trauma-informed and primary prevention program for ACEs by addressing poverty, a prominent risk factor for ACEs and trauma, through providing a guaranteed livable wage/universal livable income to impoverished families residing in Gainesville, FL. The program partners with the Central Florida Community Action Agency (CFCAA), a non-profit community-based organization working to reduce poverty and increase self-sufficiency among low-income families in multiple counties including Alachua County. The additional wage is based upon family size and calculated using the Livable Wage Calculator from MIT. In addition to the supplemental income, the program also would facilitate, monthly trauma-informed meeting to discussed how the additional income has impacted their economic stability, interpersonal relationships, familial relationships, overall well-being, and other factors. The meetings will also serve as a place that participants can form social relationships and build community connectedness and resilience.
Participants will be asked to complete a Likert-style survey before, during, and after the program assess changes in topics such as resiliency, financial knowledge, financial self-sufficiency, financial stress, familial relationships, interpersonal relationships, overall well-being, community connectedness, parenting. The monthly meetings will also be recorded and analyses using thematic analysis. Another important aspect of this program is the evidence gathered to support future funding, public support, and advocate for policy action. This program also seeks to establish a non-profit organization to serve as an advocacy group for a universal livable wage and continue to secure long-lasting financial support to ensure program longevity. Further, the evidence gathered to support universal basic income for impoverished families will be used to garnish public support and advocate for policy action. Further, to continue and expand this program for impoverished families in Gainesville, an additional non-profit organization will be created prior to the initial program’s conclusion. The non-profit will serve as both an advocacy group for universal basic income as well as securing continued financial support to ensure program longevity.
This grant will utilize the trauma-informed principles of physical, mental, and interpersonal safety, trustworthiness and transparency, and peer support and mutual self-help. To ensure physical, mental, and interpersonal safety all staff and volunteers will receive cultural competency, historical trauma, and trauma-informed trainings. To implement trustworthiness and transparency, particularly in the monthly meetings, the Project Manager will actively build connects and relationships with each participant. Peer support and mutual self-help will be implemented through the monthly gatherings where participants and their children can form relationships with those who have similar experiences to them and have the capacity to share their stories.
This grant utilizes a primary prevention public health framework and also considers the social determinants of health to also deliver a socially aware public health approach. The primary prevention aspect of this program is reflected in the aim to alleviate poverty as a way to prevent ACEs, trauma, and any subsequent adverse long-term health outcomes. Further, this program recognizes the social determinants of health by emphasizing the economic, social, and environmental conditions that impact health and quality of life. For example, this is reflected through the supplemental economic support, the social aspect of the monthly gatherings, and providing a safe and welcoming environment at the monthly gatherings.
All four levels of the CDC's Social Ecological Model (SEM) are utilized throughout this proposal. At the individual level is the supplemental income provided to the parents/caregivers which address individual factors such as income to prevent ACEs and build resiliency among families. The relationship level is incorporated through the monthly check-in meetings discussing how the supplemental income has improved participants’ familial and interpersonal relationships. The interpersonal level and community level is also address through the monthly meetings where participant and their children can build relationships both within the family unit, but also thorough their community. To address the societal level, this program would provide a supplemental income which is an economic program with the potential to enact policy change with the goal to mitigate the adverse outcomes associated with poverty.
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