Vision for Equality Announces two New Family Support Projects

Vision for Equality is pleased to announce two new pilot projects to support families in Philadelphia.  The System Navigation for Philadelphia Families and the Trauma Informed Care for Philadelphia Families are both peer to peer projects aimed at supporting our most valuable assets: families!  With the support of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual DisAbility Services (DBHIDS) Vision for Equality will provide assistance in ways we haven’t yet seen in our system.

System Navigation for Philadelphia Families

The System Navigation Project’s focus will be to help families navigate the Intellectual disability and autism systems of care such as DBHIDS and ODP (Office of Developmental Programs). Through this program, a family with a loved one impacted by Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) will receive support from a Family Navigator who is a peer mentor, an individual who is also a family member of someone impacted by an intellectual and/or developmental disability. The Family Navigator assists families in connecting with much needed resources in their communities, problem solving through challenges the family might be facing, and overcoming barriers to support. Through the Family Navigation Project, families will have the tools and assistance they need to help their loved ones have meaningful and fulfilling lives.

Trauma Informed Care for Philadelphia Families

The Trauma Informed Care Project will focus on helping families learn more about trauma and how to care for themselves while receiving support to recover from trauma. Families impacted by Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) often experience trauma due in part to the toll of caregiving, adjusting to loved ones’ challenges, frequent staff changes, lack of or barriers to accessing the support and services needed to thrive, and more. Through this project, families will get connected with mental health providers trained in supporting people affected by trauma. Families will also have opportunities to attend a regular support group to learn from one another and be supported by peers and project staffs. Furthermore, wellness workshops will be provided for families to learn simple yet effective techniques to alleviate stress on the mind and body. The Trauma Informed Care Project’s objective is to help families recover from trauma and build the resilience to bounce back stronger and quicker in the future.

Meet Chou!

The Family Navigation Project and the Trauma Informed Care Project will be led by Chou Hallegra, Manager of Philadelphia Family Support Services. She is the parent of three children impacted by autism and other developmental challenges. However, Chou is not new to Vision for Equality. She was part of the first cohort of Family Advisors who were hired when the PA Family Network was launched in 2016. Chou has also been involved with different family initiatives in PA for at least the past ten years, including ODP’s Person-Centered Thinking (PCT) family trainers’ pilot, the Office of Childhood Education and Early Learning (OCDEL)’s Parents as Partners in Professional Development (P3D), Temple University’s Institute on Disabilities’ Competence and Confidence: Partners in Policymaking (C2P2), and more. Additionally, Chou completed a post-master’s program in rehabilitation counseling and is a Certified Family Trauma Professional. She is also trained to teach Lakeside Global Institute’s curriculum for trauma informed care trainings. Chou has devoted her life to supporting families across the lifespan and is excited to be part of these two projects. Chou is originally from Brazzaville, Congo (Africa) and has made Pennsylvania her home for the past seventeen years. Chou speaks French and has a not-so-secret obsession with sunsets and sunrises; and she can’t control herself around books and dark chocolate.

If you or a family you know is in need of the supports provided by the Family Navigation and the Trauma Informed Care projects, please contact Chou by email at challegra@visionforequality.org or by phone at 215-923-3349 extension 203.