Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Emergency management personnel have identified people who are experiencing housing insecurity as among the most vulnerable populations in severe weather. First responders, social service agency staff, and others who participated in focus groups for our previous preparedness education efforts also referred to this audience as greatly in need of this education. The term "housing insecure" refers to those who are currently homeless, in temporary housing, or at great risk of losing their housing. Often facing multiple challenges, these individuals may tend to focus on their decision-making on short-term outcomes. However, by planning now how to deal with severe storms, they can take more control and feel more secure when severe storms approach. We also choose to reach people whom United Way has identified as the ALICE population-- people who are Asset-Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. These are people who are working, but earning a lower income and struggling to meet their basic needs. For this project, we identified two large urban areas (greater Bridgeport and greater New Haven), two small cities (greater New London and greater Norwich, and one rural region encompassing eight towns (Brooklyn, Killingly, Plainfield, Pomfret, Putnam, Sterling, Thompson, and Woodstock) in northeastern Connecticut. Changes/Problems:COVID-19 presented several challenges in the early phases of our project. Connecticut had the second highest number of cases following New York State, in the earliest days of the pandemic. State offices and the University of Connecticut were closed for in person meetings, classes, and events between March 20, 2020 and August 15, 2021. Though we had participated in online meetings prior to the pandemic, organizing and hosting such meetings was new to us. As challenging as the pandemic was for us to adjust to, the community agencies we wanted work with, faced larger adjustments related to the pandemic and reaching their clients and providing services. The shift to meeting online was quite new to several agencies.The COVID-19 virus led to significant delays in our progress and some modifications. When it was workable, we shifted from our plan to hold community meetings with key agency heads to conducting individual interviews online with agency leaders and in a few cases, staff members. We could not conduct interviews with people experiencing homelessness. Originally, we planned to visit most sites independently. However, when the state and university reopened, we decided to go to more of the sites together. Several were in locations that we were not familiar with. We needed to carry in a significant amount of materials and supplies for each visit. Sometimes, several people visited the table at once and we wanted to talk with them individually or in smaller numbers. There were also increases in crimes in several communities being reported such as carjackings, catalytic converter thefts, purse snatchings, and assaults. In the interest of personal safety, we felt it was best to visit most sites together. Originally, we had planned a small conference for emergency personnel and agency staff in the rural northeast area of the state based on input received during a focus group discussion held as part of an earlier project. When the worst of the pandemic had subsided, the project director approached the key community leaders whose assistance would be needed to organize and support the conference. We then learned that they did not feel it would be beneficial as their staff was experienced and they believed attendance would be quite minimal. They did indicate that if they had new staff members, it would be worthwhile. On that basis, we felt it did not make sense to move forward with the conference. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Faye Griffiths-Smith attended the 2020 EDEN Annual Meeting online and attended concurrent sessions on these topics: Mental Health First Aid for Disaster Preparedness and Response; Military Family Readiness: Disaster Preparedness; Preparing for the Worst While Hoping for the BestUF/IFAS Extension Response During Hurricane Dorian; and Extension and Mental Healrh ResiliencyDuring Times of Disaster and Recovery. She also attended the keynote presentation by Marcus Coleman with HWC and the captone prenation by Bill Hoffman with USDA-NIFA. She also attended online webinars presented by the Federal Emergency Manaagement Agency Region ii: Preparing a Culture of Preparedness in Diverse Communities; Avoid Scams and Fraud Targeting Older Adults ; Helping Kids and Teens Build Financial Capability; and Plan for Your Pets, Assisttance and Service Animals in an Emergency. Mary Ellen Welch attndedthe Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness webinar on Housing Stability for People and Their Pets. On of the key informants provided an extensive outline of the Coordinated Access Networks (CANS).through which community serice providers across Connecticut who work with eligible heads of households and individuals experiencing homelessness. Individual and family needs are assessed after calling 2-1-1 and decisions related to accessing housing services are based on priorities. This key informant maintains a networking newsletter which reaches over 1000 service providers and suggested that we provide information about our project via this network. Through this project , the project director has gotten more involved with the National Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) and worked with others to help form the new EDEN Family Consumer Sciences Committee. She also agreed to assist in the pilot of the new EDEN Ambassador Program. She mentored a colleague new to EDEN and is helping her become more familiar with the organization, resources and activities of EDEN. She has also become the chair of the national EDEN FCS Committee in September 2022. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The family and consumer sciences educators have presented a lightening talk about the Shelter from the Storm project at the Northeast National Urban Extension Leaders Conference in Springfield, Massachusetts in June 2023. They presented a concurrent session called "Getting Our Feet Wet: Our Disaster Education Story and Lessons Learned" at the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences in Providence, Rhode Island on September 14, 2023. The educators also presented a concurrent session On the Shelter from the Storm project at the EDEN Annual Meeting in Savannah, Georgia on September 27, 2023. They have also posted their educational materials on the University of Connecticut EDEN website at https://eden.uconn.edu. Currently, EDEN's transition from Purdue to the Extension Foundation is in progress. We plan to submit these materials to the national EDEN Resource Dashboard. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1: Prepare people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity to increase their ability to be severe weather resilient. Objective 1A. Conduct listening sessions with social service agency staff, emergency management staff in each of the four cities and the rural region as to preparedness education needs and best practices for reaching and communicating with the target audience. Identify community needs for language translation. Due to COVID-19 restrictions in Connecticut, we modified our plan for in-person listening sessions into individual agency interviews in the five communities/regions. We started with internal interviews with EFNEP colleagues working in these communities. Their insights helped us refine our questions for key informants. We held 10 external interviews with 13 executive directors and staff members. We asked questions about the target populations' preparedness education needs, best methods for outreach, appropriate educational tools, translation needs, and suggestions for small preparedness giveaway items. We found that there was a clear need for Spanish translation of materials in some communities, but there was not a clear need for a second language. Objective 1B. Conduct listening sessions with people who are homeless or housing insecure in the identified communities. The family and consumer sciences educators met with the immediate past Executive Director of Columbus House, a very large New Haven-based shelter in multiple sites serving approximately 400 people each day to discuss the project and gain her insight related to the homeless population in New Haven. We also contacted the director of a large food pantry and clothing closet serving more than 350 families in New Haven to arrange a visit there. However, as the virus spread in Connecticut, it became difficult to proceed. Shelters had to quickly find ways to reduce their population density at their facilities. In some cases, they moved their clients to hotel rooms. Food pantries had to reconfigure how they would make food available in a socially distanced manner and for more people. Libraries and offices closed their facilities. The state, the University of Connecticut, and extension centers were closed. We were not able to meet face-to-face. Many people had to adapt to working from home. During this time, our team continued by meeting regularly online. We instead relied on the information gleaned from our agency key informant interviews, local newspaper articles focused on homelessness and the pandemic, local listservs related to agencies dealing with people and homelessness, and reports on homelessness. Objective 1C. Design the informal education outreach activities for the target audiences and determine methods for assessment. The four severe weather conditions were decided: 1) extreme cold, 2) extreme winds, 3) extreme flooding, and 4) extreme heat. Site locations for the visits were identified. Our plan was to visit each site 3 to 4 times. We set up a table with a special tablecloth or runner designed to help potential participants understand our purpose. Objective 1D. Conduct pilot tests and evaluate educational methods and materials with members of the housing insecure population in two communities. Revise program based on findings. We held debriefing sessions after each site visit to review what we learned from each visit and to inform how we conducted future visits. Objective 1E. Conduct second pilot test in two more communities. Evaluate and revise program based on findings. We continued to hold our debriefing sessions, became more familiar with the types of interactions we were likely to have at our site visits and refined how we presented our key topics and content. Objective 1F. Translate program materials into Spanish and possibly another language. A translator was hired to translate the four info cards, four infographics, and four coloring pages. These materials were printed. Objective 1G. Conduct educational outreach activities, evaluate, and report findings. Educational visits were made to seven sites between May 18, 2022 and August 15, 2023. 651 people participated in one of 24 site visits (325 males, 326 females; 609 adults, 36 children; 388 non-Hispanics, 99 Hispanics; 369 whites, 145 blacks/African Americans, 37 Asians). Key findings are summarized here. Most were somewhat aware of basic preparedness tips, but they were less familiar as to why taking these steps is important, for example, drinking more water in severe heat). People responded very positively to conversations about their health and safety in severe weather and appreciated the reminders about what to do. Many adults enjoyed receiving the coloring pages and colored pencils when promoted as an activity to reduce stress. Several people asked for educational materials for family members, neighbors, and others. At one site, some people were bi-lingual and translated for others. Program directors shared positive feedback they had received from participants. Several participants expressed appreciation for our concern about their welfare. Goal 2: Prepare social service agency staff to be better prepared as individuals and families for severe weather. Objective 2A. Plan a session at the conference for social service agency staff and emergency management volunteers to increase their knowledge of personal and family preparedness. Goals 2 and 3 and their associated objectives were developed based on a perceived need from a listening session for our previous preparedness grant. After our state reopened following the pandemic, the project director contacted key emergency management and social services personnel in the community to plan the conference. They stated that since these two groups were already familiar with each other, a conference was unnecessary and participation would be minimal at best. One respondent indicated such an event would be helpful for new staff members, but theirs were experienced.re experienced. Objective 2B. Survey session attendees as to steps they plan to take regarding personal and family preparedness. Based on the earlier discussion, the was not pursued. Goal 3: Educate social service agencies in best practices for social service agencies in community preparedness so that they can determine next steps for their agencies and their communities. Objective 3A. Provide information at conference on best practices for social service agencies. Based on the earlier discussion, the was not pursued. Objective 3B. Survey interest among conference participants in creating a community preparedness network. Based on the earlier discussion, the was not pursued. Goal 4: To develop educational tools that will be useful to the target population as well as extension colleagues, national EDEN website and annual conference, the Connecticut EDEN website, conference and others as identified by our partners. Objective 4A. Develop print materials (flyers, factsheets, educational placemats, and coloring pages/activity sheets) and brief educational activities for people who are housing insecure We developed infocards (half-sheet cards), color infographics, and coloring pages for the 4 weather conditions based on key informant interviews. Objective 4B. Create short engaging videos on severe weather preparedness for people who are housing insecure. Two-minute videos were created for the four severe weather conditions. Objective 4C. Share the project and tools with extension colleagues, national EDEN website and annual conference, the Connecticut EDEN website, and others as identified by our partners. UConn EDEN webpages feature these materials. A lightning presentation was made at the Northeast National Urban Extension Leaders Conference in Springfield, MA in June 2023. This project was one of three highlighted in a NEAFCS concurrent presentation in Providence, RI in September 2023 and featured in a concurrent session at the EDEN Annual Meeting in Savannah, Georgia in September 2023.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Griffiths-Smith, Faye and Welch, Mary. Shelter from the Storm Preparedness Education for Vulnerable Populations, Northeast National Urban Extension Leaders Conference, Lightning Presentation, June 15, 2023, Springfield, Massachusetts. https://ag.umass.edu/events/nuel-northeast-regional-conference-2023/conference-presentations
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Welch, Mary and Griffiths-Smith, Faye. Getting Our Feet Wet: Our Disaster Education Journey and Lessons Learned, Concurrent Session, National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, September 14, 2023, Providence, Rhode Island.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Griffiths-Smith, Faye and Welch, Mary. Shelter from the Storm: Preparedness Education for Vulnerable Populations, Concurrent Session, September 27, 2023, Extension Disaster Education Network, Savannah, Georgia.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Welch, Mary. Disaster Education in EDEN (lightening-style presentation), Northeast Region Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Leaders Meeting, National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, September 14, 2023, Providence, Rhode Island.
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The extension educators set up information tables at 1) the Access Emergency Shelter in Danielson three times, 2) the Killingly Public Library twice, and at St. Vincent De Paul Place in downtown Norwich once. The focus of these visits was to reach people who are unsheltered or at risk of losing their housing. The Access Emergency Shelter provides temporary housing and meals. The Norwich facility has a food pantry and soup kitchen. They also provide case management, showers, hygiene, and other services. The Killingly Public Library is located near the shelter and is in a community with a high number of people in the Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed (ALICE) population as identified by United Way. These organizations work with people experiencing homelessness, unemployment, physical or mental disabilities, and underemployment. Some people are dealing with addiction issues. The people seeking these services include the elderly, veterans, and children. Some people are unsheltered and live in tents or cars. These visits took place at the following locations on these dates: Access Emergency Shelter: May 18, 2022 - Strong winds (8 people), June 22, 2022 Flooding (5 people), August 10, 2022 - Extreme heat (8 people); Killingly Public Library: July 12, 2022 - Strong winds (18 people), August 9, 2022 - Extreme heat (24 people); St. Vincent De Paul Place: August 29, 2022 - Extreme heat (25 people) Changes/Problems:Changes Initially, when our team developed the grant narrative, we planned to hold a small conference for volunteer emergency management personnel and social service agency staff. However, during the past year, the project director interviewed three representatives from the community where we had planned to hold the small conference as to their interest and ability to work with us in planning the conference for social service agency staff and volunteers in emergency management. The key person at the health department shared that such a conference would not be useful at that time because the people in emergency management were experienced and very familiar with the social service agencies. He felt it would have been beneficial if they had newer people in the department. The social service agency staff member agreed with the health department representative. The librarian would have been willing to support the event if the others were interested, however, that was not the case. Based on this information, it did not make sense to pursue planning this conference. Also, we did not create placemats as during the interview process, the agencies indicated they would not be useful. Problems The pandemic continued to provide challenges as UConn Extension returned to our offices on August 15, 2021. University guidelines regarding masking, social distancing, and other policies impacted our ability to do outreach. COVID rates rose in the winter and spring of 2022 and delayed our progress. Crime also increased in Connecticut communities. The educators balanced their desire to connect with target audiences to provide severe weather preparedness information with the need to protect personal health and safety, especially at sites in unfamiliar locations. They decided to visit less familiar sites together to reduce safety concerns. Social service agencies experienced dramatic increases in the number of people seeking their services. It has been more difficult to connect with agencies due to their increased caseloads. The State of Connecticut and the University of Connecticut experienced a wave of retirements earlier in the pandemic and also during the spring and summer of 2022. Many responsibilities have shifted to the remaining employees. Following the retirement of a colleague, the project director also became the program administrator for PEP CI in June 2020. The People Empowering People Program in Correctional Institutions (PEP CI) and our volunteers have not been allowed to enter the prisons since the early phase of the pandemic in March 2019. The Connecticut Department of Corrections (DOC) contacted UConn Extension in Spring 2022 to prepare our volunteers to re-enter the prisons as they readied to reopen their doors to us as a partnering volunteer program. Working closely with the PEP CI volunteer coordinator, the project director/program administrator familiarized herself with DOC policies regarding volunteer programs, connected with past volunteers, recruited new ones, and provided them with program materials so that they would be ready when their specific sites reopened after July 18, 2022. The volunteers have been anxiously waiting for their return to the prisons and we heard the prisoners were looking forward to participating as there had been no programming during the earlier phase of the pandemic. However, these preparations took significant time. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Through this project, the project director has gotten more involved with the national Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) and worked with others to help form the new EDEN Family and Consumer Sciences Committee. She also agreed to assist in the pilot of the new EDEN Ambassador Program. She mentors a colleague new to EDEN and is helping her become more familiar with the organization by meeting on a monthly basis to review the mission and goals, history, organization, resources, and activities of EDEN. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The Spanish translation of the materials will be printed. Site visits will be completed in the communities where visits have begun. Site visits will take place in the remaining communities. The educators will compile their impressions and provide these to the evaluator who will summarize the results. The extension educators will submit a proposal for a professional development webinar through EDEN. They will submit proposals to present at conferences such as the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. The videos, info cards, infographics, and coloring pages will be submitted for the national EDEN Resource Dashboard.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We wanted to reach people who are 1) experiencing homelessness or 2) at risk of losing their housing with relevant information about being prepared for four different severe weather conditions. We planned to reach them at places they are likely to go such as food pantries, soup kitchens, social service agencies, and libraries. Our focus would be to engage people individually or in small groups in short focused conversations about these weather conditions-- severe cold, extreme winds, flooding, and extreme heat. Rather than giving lots of information and possibly overwhelming them, we shared specific actions relevant to people in these two target audiences could take to be prepared and stay safe. General reactions to our visits have been very positive. People on their way to seek assistance from these organizations saw our specially designed tablecloth or table runner. The tablecloth and table runner include the name of our organization, USDA-NIFA, the project name, "Shelter from the Storm", and the tagline, "Let's talk about the weather." People then know where we are from and have a general sense of why we are there. It attracts their attention and makes people a bit curious as to why exactly we are there. Some people say the tagline to us as they approach the table. This has been a great way to get the conversation started and keep it focused. Most people have been happy to engage in conversation with us about the selected weather condition for that visit, why it is important to be prepared, and specific actions they can take. Some of the people we talked with shared a bit about their experiences with some of the weather conditions and what they had learned. We also had a small preparedness incentive item such as hand warmers, mylar blankets, dry pouches, or bottles of water to give the participants near the end of our targeted conversations. Several visitors asked to take infographics and coloring pages to other family members and friends. Some information they were familiar with and appreciated the reminders. However, some information was new to them-- for example, the small amount of moving water it takes to move a person or car. Many expressed appreciation to us for sharing this information. At the library, some people asked how long our table would be there so they could encourage other people to come. A few people took photos to send to encourage others to come. One mentioned sharing it with the residents at a group home where she works. Objective 1C: During this period, a student was hired to assist with the development of scripts, narration, and visuals for four brief 2-minute videos on the four severe weather conditions of extreme cold, severe wind, flooding, and extreme heat. A Spanish translator was hired and provided translations of the four versions of info cards, infographics, and coloring pages. The methods for assessment were determined. At each visit, the educators will ask the participants three questions about their knowledge of preparedness relative to the specific weather condition and the usefulness of the information provided. They will also record their impressions of the visits and provide this information to the evaluator. He will summarize the findings. Objective 1D: The extension educators pilot tested delivering information related to severe heat at four sites, strong winds at two sites, and flooding at one site. Rural Community Access Emergency Shelter, Danielson May 18, 2022 - Extreme wind (8 people); June 22, 2022 - Flooding (5 people); August 10, 2022 - Extreme heat (8 people) Killingly Public Library, Killingly July 12, 2022 - Extreme wind (14 people); August 9, 2022 Extreme heat (26 people) Urban Community Otis Library, Norwich August 24, 2022 - Extreme heat (25 people) St. Vincent De Paul Place, Norwich August 29, 2022 - Extreme heat (52 people) Objective 1F. A translator was hired and the educational materials (info cards, infographic sheets, and coloring pages) were translated into Spanish. Objective 1G. The site visits have begun. We have visited two sites (a homeless shelter and a local library) in one community to reach more people and a food pantry in another community. Objective 4B. A student was hired to assist with the development of video scripts, finding appropriate visual images, and recording 2-minute videos of each of the four severe weather topics. These videos have been posted on social media and are available on the UConn EDEN website at https://eden.uconn.edu. Objective 4C. The educators made a brief presentation about the project at the Northeast Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Leaders Meeting held on March 22, 2022. They also shared information about the project during a recorded video interview as part of the International Federation of Home Economics (IFHE) for World Home Economics Day on March 21, 2022. The theme was "Building Resilient Homes and Families". The "Resiliency, Homelessness and Housing Insecure Populations" video was shared internationally through the IFHE YouTube channel. The video was also promoted as part of a video series in an article in the spring IFHE 2022 publication.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:During this period, we have connected with our secondary target audience-- service providers who work with people who are unsheltered or at risk for housing insecurity. These include staff members at shelters, food pantries, soup kitchens, social service agencies, and libraries in the following communities and surrounding towns-- 1) Bridgeport, 2) New Haven, 3) New London, 4) Norwich, and 5) an 8-town region in northeastern Connecticut. Due to the continuing pandemic, we conducted all of our informational interviews with these key informants online. Changes/Problems:The Covid-19 Pandemic has impacted our project in numerous ways. Health and safety precautions enacted by the state of Connecticut, the University of Connecticut, and UConn Extension must be followed. Our state has been particularly cautious to reduce risk. UConn Extension offices were closed on March 23, 2020. and officially reopened on August 16, 2021. The agencies and organizations with whom we wanted to connect were busy reorganizing themselves to address the needs of their clients. Initially, we planned to also interview people who were experiencing homelessness or were at risk of housing insecurity (see Goal 1, Objective 1B). Due to the restrictions, it was not possible to directly interview individuals experiencing these conditions. We are instead relying on our key informants at the agencies and organizations that serve our primary target audience. Also, we learned through our key informant interviews that several of our key informants believed we would be more successful if we 1) could time our educational outreach visits so that they were a day or two before one of the severe weather events and 2) gave our educational materials to the caseworkers who already interact with these two target populations. They felt that people in general, but especially the target populations we want to reach will pay more attention to making preparations when the event is highly likely to occur very soon. These populations have many concerns and needs and are likely to focus on short-term needs. Also, they already know the caseworkers and many may trust them more than they would us as strangers. If we work through the caseworkers, they are likely to pay more attention to them and the caseworkers are providing more information and a preparedness tool that can help them. We will try to use direct contact when possible, but want to also to share our information and tools through the caseworkers. We will also follow up with them to find out what kind of a response they received to the information and tools. Due to the length of the pandemic and restrictions, our ability to directly reach the primary target audience of people experiencing homelessness and people who are at risk of housing insecurity had been severely limited. Therefore it has been necessary to eliminate the pilot testing our materials. Though we have not been able to be face-to-face with these participants the past 17 months, we were able to use this time to develop our printed educational materials for each of the four severe weather conditions. By making this change, we will be ready to conduct our educational outreach efforts when possible. This will still depend on the current status of the pandemic and any restrictions that may be in place. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Faye Griffiths-Smith attended the 2020 EDEN Annual Meeting online and attended concurrent sessions on these topics: Mental Health First Aid for Disaster Preparedness and Response; Military Family Readiness: Disaster Preparedness; Preparing for the Worst While Hoping for the Best: UF/IFAS Extension Response During Hurricane Dorian; and Extension and Mental Health Resiliency During Times of Disaster and Recovery. She also attended the keynote presentation by Marcus Coleman with HWC and the capstone presented by Bill Hoffman with USDA-NIFA. She also attended online webinars presented by the Federal Emergency Management Agency Region II: Preparing a Culture of Preparedness in Diverse Communities; Avoid Scams and Fraud Targeting Older Adults; Helping Kids and Teens Build Financial Capability; and Plan for Your Pets, Assistance and Service Animals in an Emergency. Mary Ellen Welch attended the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness webinar on Housing Stability for People and Their Pets. One of the key informants provided an extensive outline of the Coordinated Access Networks (CANS) Through which community service providers across Connecticut who work with eligible heads of household and individuals experiencing homelessness. Individual and family needs are assessed after calling 2-1-1 and decisions related to accessing housing services are based on priorities. This key informant maintains networking newsletter which reaches over 1000 service providers and suggested provide information on our table displays via this media. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A webpage for Shelter from the Storm (https://eden.uconn.edu/shelter-from-storm/) is under development on the UConn EDEN website (www.eden.uconn.edu), The informational cards have been posted there. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1C. Design the informal education outreach activities for the target audiences and determine methods for assessment. Once in-person activities commence, the effectiveness of the interventions will be implemented in some cases via a staffed table display at libraries, fairs, shelters, evaluation by participant observation will be conducted and recorded. If a workshop is conducted, evaluation will be done by pre- and post-post workshop surveys (paper or electronic). This will ensure stakeholder/target audience (client) privacy. No one will be identified or characterized. This data will then be analyzed and reported. Information to be gleaned will include understanding of client preparedness knowledge and action for specific disaster events such as hot weather, cold weather, flooding, and other events. Objective 1F. A translator will be hired tol translate the project materials into Spanish. Objective 1G. Conduct educational outreach activities, evaluate, and report findings. As with Objective 1C, once in-person activities commence, the effectiveness of the interventions will be implemented in some cases (workshops) by pre- and post-post workshop surveys (paper or electronic). With other educational interventions (a display/booth) at libraries, fairs, shelters, evaluation by participant observation will be conducted and recorded. This will ensure stakeholder/target audience (client) privacy. No one will be identified or characterized. This data will then be analyzed and reported. Information to be gleaned will include understanding of client preparedness knowledge and action for specific disaster events such as hot weather, cold weather, flooding, and other events. Objective 2A. Plan a session at the conference for social service agency staff and emergency management volunteers to increase their knowledge of personal and family preparedness. Once in-person activities commence, previously contacted (via two other grants) and known social agency leaders and workers will be contacted once again to seek their interest and participation in a regional (eastern Connecticut, Quinebaug River corridor) social services disaster preparedness one-day conference. The conference will provide educational information (speakers, displays). A major component of the convention will be to gauge interest in and possibly begin professional and institutional social networking (both informal and formal (on-going)). The premise is that new knowledge will be transferred most effectively by means of a peer-to-peer exchange over time. This conference would be a starting point. Objective 2B. Survey session attendees as to steps they plan to take in regard to personal and family preparedness. Conference participants will be pre- and post-conference surveyed (either paper or electronically) about their personal and family preparedness. This information is of interest in that it would be interesting and informative to learn to what extent professionals who are knowledgeable of and transfer knowledge about disaster preparedness actually implement what they teach. Objective 3A. Provide information at the conference on best practices for social service agencies. The conference will include invited and volunteered keynote speaker and conference presenters. Presenters will be experts in disaster preparedness fields that help address stakeholder and target audience educational and knowledge transfer means. Room for informational displays will be provided both for people and institutions knowledgeable in disaster preparedness and for social services agencies and organizations who are engaged in preparedness best practices for their clients. Objective 3B. Survey interest among conference participants in creating a community preparedness network. Conference participants would be asked--both anonymously in the survey form and in small groups--if they would be interested in a continuance (as in annual or semi-annual) disaster preparedness conferences and social networking, for the regional social agencies and organizations. If there is enough interest, a group of volunteers will be formed as the planning and leadership group. Records of levels of interest will be recorded and reported. If interest is sufficient, Extension educators will help facilitate a first meeting of the interested individuals. Objective 4B. We will write scripts for four three-minute videos and hire a videographer to support this effort. Objective 4C. Project materials will be posted on the UConn Extension Disaster Network (EDEN) and we will ask national EDEN to link to our materials. We are scheduled to make a presentation on the project at the Northeast Family and Consumer Sciences Leaders Meeting online on March 22, 2021. We will seek an opportunity to present our project and materials online as a professional development webinar through national EDEN. We will also look for other opportunities to share this project in Connecticut and through other national professional organizations and associations.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted our project in multiple ways. The state of Connecticut, the University of Connecticut, and UConn Extension instituted many new health and safety policies to reduce exposure to and transmission of the virus among members of the public, employees, and students. UConn Extension offices were closed on March 23, 2020. We reopened on Monday, August 16, 2021. Many of the organizations with whom we wanted to connect had to regroup and rethink how they provided services to their clientele. It has meant major changes in how organizations conduct their business. This has been true for us as well. When possible, we have looked for ways to modify and adapt our plans to move forward on this project. Goal 1, Objective 1A. Conduct listening sessions with social service agency staff, emergency management staff in each of the four cities and the rural region as to preparedness education needs and best practices for reaching and communicating with the target audience. Identify community needs for language translation. Objective 1B. Conduct listening sessions with people who are homeless or housing insecure in the identified communities. We developed a series of questions and conducted interviews with staff members at individual organizations in the targeted communities that provide services to people who are homeless or at risk for housing insecurity. The results of these interviews are summarized and have been used to guide us as to appropriate types of educational materials to be developed for people who are homeless or at risk for housing insecurity. These interviews have also helped inform us as to which small preparedness items we provide, and in determining any needs for the materials to be translated into other languages. Due to the pandemic and health, safety, and privacy considerations, we did not directly interview the primary target audiences and relied on the information shared by our secondary target audience of service providers. Goal 1, Objective 1C. Design the informal education outreach activities for the target audiences and determine methods for assessment. No informal education outreach activities have yet been conducted due to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent and often mandated closings of stakeholder and target audience facilities and locations (for example, public libraries, shelters, food pantries). The state of Connecticut as well as University of Connecticut in-person meeting restrictions have also restricted and prohibited outreach education efforts. Some restrictions have only recently been lifted or modified. The possible reinstitution of restrictions remains a possibility as Covid-19 infection rates continue to increase to date. We have designed most of the educational materials. Our team worked with the graphic designer to include diverse representation in our materials. Goal 1, Objective 1F. Translate program materials into Spanish and possibly another language. Based on our interviews with key informants in the targeted communities, we found that translating the materials into Spanish would be important. No other language was identified as a need across multiple targeted communities. Goal 2, Objective 2A. Plan a session at the conference for social service agency staff and emergency management volunteers to increase their knowledge of personal and family preparedness. Once in-person activities commence, previously contacted (via two other grants) and known social agency leaders and workers will be contacted once again to seek their interest and participation in a regional (eastern Connecticut, Quinebaug River corridor) social services disaster preparedness one-day conference. The conference will provide educational information (speakers, displays). A major component of the convention will be to gauge interest in and possibly begin professional and institutional social networking (both informal and formal (on-going)). The premise is that new knowledge will be transferred most effectively using peer-to-peer exchange over time. This conference would be a starting point. Goal 2, Objective 2B. Survey session attendees as to steps they plan to take regarding personal and family preparedness. Conference participants will be pre-and post-conference surveyed (either paper or electronically) about their personal and family preparedness. This information is of interest in that it would be interesting and informative to learn to what extent professionals who are knowledgeable of and transfer knowledge about disaster preparedness actually implement what they teach. Goal 4, Objectives 4A, 4B, and 4C.Based on information gleaned from our key informant interviews, we focused on developing educational materials that would be colorful, attention-getting, brief, and easy to read. Informational cards (half-sheet size) and infographic sheets have been designed and are currently being printed. Coloring pages based on the infographics are currently being designed.
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences for this project are people who are homeless and others who are experiencing or at risk for housing insecurity. This project also focuses on staff at social service agencies, shelters, food pantries, libraries, and emergency responders. Changes/Problems: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our ability to move forward with this project as originally intended. UConn and the UConn Extension Centers have been closed since March 19, 2020. We have been required to work remotely since that date and anticipate that we will continue to do so throughout 2020. We are not allowed to hold meetings at our centers or on campus. Currently, we are not meeting face-to-face. We are continuing to meet virtually as a team and anticipate that we will conduct the interviews virtually as well. Up to this time, the state of Connecticut, the University of Connecticut, UConn Extension, and the various agencies and organizations with whom we currently partner and also hope to partner with have been in the process of trying to determine how to proceed with our respective work and live our lives in this new COVID-19 environment. In Connecticut prior to the pandemic, the use of online meeting platforms was mainly limited to participating in national and regional meetings with our extension colleagues in other states. Many of our program partners had even less familiarity with these systems as Connecticut is a very small state geographically and it is possible to travel diagonally across the state in less than two hours. Travel is relatively easy and inexpensive compared to larger states. With time, we have become more familiar with online meeting technology and use it daily to conduct our business both internally and externally. Now more of our partners have also found new ways to conduct their business and have adapted on online meetings as well which will make it easier for us to work with them. In normal times (pre-COVID-19), the target audiences (people experiencing homelessness and those otherwise housing insecure) we identified for the project would be considered to be a difficult to reach, but important audience to serve. With the pandemic, the challenge has greatly increased. As they are at high risk for COVID-19 and other health-related issues, much emphasis has been given to moving people from shelters to lower density housing such as hotel rooms to reduce the spread of the virus. Shelters, food pantries, libraries, and others serving these populations have had to make major shifts in where, when, and how they provide these services. Sudden, catastrophic increases in unemployment have made these challenges even greater. Due to policies set by the state of Connecticut, we have had to make significant adjustments to reduce contact and maintain social distancing, and consider best practices to reduce personal health and safety risks. As the state of Connecticut, University of Connecticut, UConn Extension, and the organizations with whom we intend to partner have reached more conclusions regarding how we all will proceed with business through the rest of 2020, we are now in a better position to reach out to partnering organizations. Though initially we wanted to interview people experiencing homelessness and others who are at risk for housing insecurity for their input, we anticipate that it would be very difficult to do so directly under COVID-19 policies. Instead, we want to shift to reach the staff members at the social service agencies, libraries, soup kitchens, and others who are experienced at serving these populations for their insight as to best methods for reaching these populations. We will conduct these interviews virtually. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? In September 2019, the two educators for the project attended the Extension Disaster Education Network Annual Meeting in Spokane, Washington. Mary Ellen Welch attended sessions on EDEN 101, Marketing Committee, FCS & 4-H Committee, EDEN Business Meeting, Concurrent Sessions on Sustaining Emotional Well-Being; Marketing for Non-Marketing Professionals; A Case study of Creating Glacier Peak Institute (GPI) After the Oso Slide; Disasters Happen - The Role of Cooperative Extension in Dealing with Disasters in California; Science During Crisis: the 2015 Idaho Wildfires; Capstone, EDEN Business Meeting, and on September 20, the Post Conference Workshop. Faye Griffiths-Smith attended sessions on EDEN 202; Marketing Committee, FCS &4-H Committee, EDEN Business Meeting, Concurrent Sessions on The Unique Relationship Between Management and Extension at Washington State University; Mental Health First Aid Workshops to Address Mental Health Needs Following Florida Hurricane: Providing Interstate Mutual Aid in Times of Need; Weather Ready Landscapes Infographic Series: A Look at the Resources and Lessons Learned in Development, Capstone, EDEN Business Meeting, and on September 20th, the Post Conference Workshop. During this period, the project educators participated in training sessions offered by Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, an organization focused on leadership, advocacy, and capacity building. This has been an opportunity to better understand the housing process and policies people who are experiencing homelessness are likely to face so that we are better prepared to work with both staff and people experiencing homelessness. 10/30/2019 Rapid Re-Housing Crash Course Training, Hartford (Griffiths-Smith) 4/22/2020 Addressing Food Insecurity During the COVID-19 Crisis Webinar (Griffiths-Smith) 5/6/2020 Shelter Diversion During the COVID-19 Crisis Webinar (Griffiths-Smith) 5/11/2020 Caring for and Reducing the Transmission of COVID-19 in Shelters and Hotels: A View from the Field Webinar (Welch, Griffiths-Smith) 5/12/2020 Caring for and Reducing the Transmission of COVID-19 in Shelters and Hotels: A View from the Field (Welch)5/13/2020 18th Annual Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness Training Institute (Welch and Griffiths-Smith) registered for face-to-face conference, but cancelled due to the pandemic. 6/4/2020 Hotels to Homes: Rapidly Housing from Hotels During the COVID-19 Pandemic Webinar (Griffiths-Smith) 6/26/2020 Update to the Status on Evictions in CT Due to the COVID-19 Crisis (Griffiths-Smith) How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? As plans for basic operations for the fall season in COVID-19 mode for the state of Connecticut, the University of Connecticut, UConn Extension and several partnering agencies and organizations have been or are in the process of being developed, we are currently setting up individual virtual interviews with key informants such as social service agency providers (food pantries, shelters, libraries, town/city officials, and emergency responders in the targeted communities. (Originally, we planned to do small face-to-face listening sessions with staff who work with these audiences and separately do similar interviews with members of the target population groups.) Their responses will inform the methods (videos, social media, flyers, printed material, t-shirts with brief messaging: and other means) we will use in developing messaging to reach people who are currently homeless or otherwise at risk of housing insecurity. We will design, produce, and distribute the messages to the communities, pilot test, re-design materials as needed, and evaluate this effort. Materials will be translated into Spanish. If the key informants identify a significant need and we have enough funding remaining, we will pursue translation of the materials into a third language. A planning committee will be formed to organize a small preparedness conference for social service agency staff and volunteer emergency responders in eastern Connecticut. This will be an opportunity for them to receive training that otherwise is not available in their area. The conference will take place and participants will be surveyed as to their interest in forming a group to continue this effort in future years. If there is sufficient interest, an initial meeting to bring the interested individuals together will be coordinated and they will have an opportunity to determine their next steps. We will share our products and materials via our University of Connecticut EDEN website and pursue sharing them via the national EDEN website. We will seek additional opportunities to share this information with other professionals and organizations. Project reports will be completed.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Emergency responders and social service agency staff have identified people who are experiencing homelessness or those who are otherwise at risk of housing insecurity as among those they are most concerned about in the event of severe weather. The focus of this project is to reach these two target audiences with clear messaging about steps they can take to reduce their health and safety risks in such weather events. Objective 1A. Conduct listening sessions with social service agency staff, emergency management staff in each of the four cities and the rural region as to preparedness education needs and best practices for reaching and communicating with the target audience. Identify community needs for language translation. Objective 1B. Conduct listening sessions with people who are homeless or housing insecure in the identified communities. The project team met at least once each month to discuss plans for reaching the target audiences in each community. We met with the immediate past Executive Director of Columbus House, a very large New Haven-based shelter (serving approximately 400 people each day) to discuss the project and gain her insight as to the homeless population in the greater New Haven area. We also contacted the director at a large food pantry and clothing closet serving more than 350 families in New Haven to arrange a site visit. However, as he was recovering from an accident, we planned to reconnect at a later time. As the virus started to spread in the U.S. it became difficult to proceed. Shelters had to quickly find ways to reduce population density at their facilities. In some cases, they moved their clients to hotel rooms. Food pantries had to reconfigure how they would make food available in a socially distanced manner and for more people.. Libraries and other offices closed their facilities. The state, the University of Connecticut, and extension centers were closed. We could not conduct face-to-face listening sessions with members of the target population nor could we reach those who interact with them through government or social service agencies. Many people and organizations had to find a way to adapt to working from home. However, we were able to interview our Expanded Foods and Nutrition Education Program staff members by locality working in the identified communities and surrounding towns with similar populations to help us in determining additional key agencies and contacts as well as specific needs within each community.
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