The Resident Social Service Coordinator Program was developed by the Cornu Management Company, Inc. to meet the pressing resident needs in its subsidized properties. The Program is intended to perform a multitude of functions which improve the quality of life and independent living of elderly (frail or at-risk) residents, non-elderly residents with disabilities, and multi-family residential properties. As Vice President for Human Services, Jane B. Mayer, LICSW has made it her goal to improve the well being of Cornu’s Residents. The primary focus has been to develop the Resident Social Service Coordinator component. At present, a full program has been implemented for our subsidized properties.
Several areas of intervention that Cornu provides through the Resident Social Service Coordinator program include:
- Case management and referral services including: evaluation of health, psychological and social needs, with the goal of maintaining resident independence; educating residents on service availability, social service application procedures, and resident rights; establishing linkages with all agencies and service providers in the community to develop best price and individualized service; and follow-up monitoring of all services. There is strong evidence that service coordination improves the quality of life for residents and may help residents detect and manage health and social service problems earlier.
- Family short-term counseling and intervention with an emphasis on identification and referral of domestic violence, child and elder abuse. Attention is given to signs of abuse, how to deal with it, accessing help, and counseling. Referrals are made to local community health/mental health agencies when appropriate.
- Youth programs, including services which build on existing programs in the community. One of the major goals is for the youth of the community to build positive peer relationships. Youth programs include working with youth to access summer jobs, resume writing, and sports programming.
- Outreach and Advocacy with management, residents, and social service agencies to identify and address problems before they reach crisis proportion. Help residents attain fair hearings when there is reason to believe that a resident is eligible for a denied service. Work with residents to resolve individual as well as group conflicts. Refer residents to appropriate agencies when services are needed with the goal of fostering independence and the ability for the resident to remain at home.
- Health, Education, Wellness and Prevention Services are cornerstones to the Service Coordination Program. Linkages are made with neighborhood community health centers to provide drug and alcohol prevention programs, health screenings for cancer, blood pressure and diabetes, and health educational programs on weight loss and nutrition.
- Single Parenting Programs handle the issues and services confronting single parenting families, in particular locating childcare resources.
- Safe Communities is an effort that will further identify strategies to increase safety, awareness, and a sense of community. This involves a collaboration between residents and neighbors with local community health, social service, and law enforcement groups. There is a particular focus on building communities.
- Participation in MHFA’s Tenant Assistance Programs (TAP), which support an improved quality of life for all residents. This involves attending tenant and resident education programs as well as delivering presentations related to aging in place and resident service coordination.
There are several programs which have been developed that will further enhance the Resident Social Service Coordinator component. ·
- One special program is a collaboration with Dana Farber Cancer Institute, the United Way, and Cornu Management to bring the DFCI Mobile Diagnostic Van for breast cancer screening to several community housing sites including Mission Park, Villa Victoria, Grant Manor, Camfield Estates, and St. Joseph’s. This Program received a two-year grant from the United Way of $22,000. It was one of the first times that the van had gone directly to a housing development rather than to a health of community center.
- Another initiative undertaken by the Resident Social Service Coordinator Division is the ongoing Health Fairs. The goal of the Fairs, a collaboration with Whittier Street, Health Center, and Cornu Management, is to promote health awareness and education to the residents of Roxbury, Boston’s South End communities, & Mission Hill. Close to 500 residents participate.
- The development of a full range of Computer Learning Centers is another major objective. This past year, CLC’s were firmly established at both Chelsea Square and Robinson Cuticura apartments, run by the RSSC. Additionally, computers were received at St. Joseph’s through a grant from IBA. A second grant for $10,000 has been submitted to Keyspan to support ongoing training and education at that site.
- A Multi-site Cancer Center Grant has been submitted to the National Cancer Institute in collaboration with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute to study early identification of colon cancer. Several Cornu sites are participating in the grant. They include: Villa Victoria, Mission Park, Camfield Estates, St. Joseph’s, Bradley Properties and Grant Manor. A few sites (including Robert Fortes, St. Joseph’s, and Grant Manor) have already participated in a pilot study and have received $250 to each property’s resident association for their participation.
The Resident Social Service Coordinator role is an important one, providing independent living options for many low-income elderly, disabled and young families whom otherwise might face great adversity. For fiscal year 2002, Service Coordinators worked with close to 3,000 Cornu residents. Additionally, 7,800 services were performed on behalf of the residents. These residents were requesting assistance with income and financial problems, physical health concerns, homemaker needs, depression, chronic mental health problems, and lease violation issues.