We imagine a world where families stay together and thrive because of locally navigated pathways to wellbeing.
We believe that local leaders and communities can support neighbors on healing journeys away from child welfare and juvenile justice, at less cost with better outcomes, than anything that is being offered in child welfare or juvenile justice today.
We believe investing locally will yield better results than continuing to funnel philanthropic and public funds to systems actors with wonderful intentions but misaligned incentives.
Our Proposition
We propose a six (6) year experiment, across six (6) deficit-framed communities with disproportionate referral and involvement rates, that will show how trusted leaders can invest for better results than well-meaning child welfare/juvenile justice actors can imagine, finance or implement.
We will show how true local control will:
• Reduce child welfare/juvenile justice rates in participating communities
• Reduce police contacts
• Reduce family separation
• Reduce recidivism
While simultaneously showing across participating communities
• Improved, locally defined indicators of well being
• Educational advancements
• Enhanced food security
• Greater economic wellbeing
• Greater housing stability
No agency engaged in child welfare or juvenile justice holds themselves accountable to such outcomes.
Washington DC had an approved FY 2021 human services budget of $219 million, while Illinois proposes a $2 billion investment in the Department of Children & Family Services this fiscal year.
