“Emergency Housing Program for Cuyahoga County Teens Shows Positive Outcomes”
The Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services Advisory Board recently received updates from David Gray and Dawnya Underwood of the Cleveland Christian Home regarding new initiatives to support at-risk youth.
T-Suites Program Success
David Gray reported that the T-Suites program, which began in early 2023, has been highly successful. This initiative, designed to provide emergency beds for teens in crisis situations, has now served over 100 teenagers.
New Child Wellness Campus
Dawnya Underwood provided details about the new child wellness campus being developed on Cleveland Christian Home’s West Side. Underwood emphasized that the campus will be a trauma-informed, home-like environment. This setup will allow children to transition between different levels of care, from the least to the most restrictive environments, based on their needs.
Immediate Goals for the Campus
The campus aims to:
- Improve data collection and reporting
- Integrate behavioral health services
- Enhance staff development and training
Underwood mentioned that other regions in the state are interested in replicating this child wellness campus model. The facility is expected to be fully operational within three years.
Success in Hiring Child Protection Specialists
Director Jacqueline Fletcher reported significant progress in staffing the Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS). In August, DCFS successfully hired 22 new child protection specialists, reducing the number of vacancies to 12. This is a substantial improvement from December 2023, when there were 152 vacancies out of a budgeted 401 caseworker positions.
Hiring Incentives
Fletcher attributed the recent hiring success to a salary increase, with the starting wage now at $27.32 per hour. An additional group of employees is expected to join the DCFS team in October. The average caseload for a child protection specialist has decreased to 10 to 12 cases per worker, down from more than 20.
Fletcher expressed optimism, stating, “Folks are interested in child welfare, child protection, and we’re getting them through the doors.”
Upcoming DCFS Community Listening Events
Fletcher also shared outcomes from recent community listening and engagement sessions hosted by DCFS. These sessions aimed to provide information about child protection resources and gather community feedback on areas needing support. A notable request was for more information on respite care for parents. Fletcher referred to a U.S. Surgeon General report on caregiver stress, highlighting it as a significant factor in some of the issues faced by DCFS.
The next community listening events will be held:
- September 12 at Friendly Inn
- September 19 at St. Martin de Porres Family Center
Both events will start at 5 p.m.
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