Family Support Services-Home Visiting
In 2015, Neighborhood Alliance Help Me Grow-Home Visiting program was honored to be
selected as one of eight agencies chosen by Ohio Department of Health to participate in a
Home Visiting Collaborative Learning Network Project (HVCLN)! This 10 month project
focused on developing a network infrastructure to support improving outcomes of first-time,
at-risk mothers and their infants by supporting long-term positive engagement.
Strategies were tested over time to increase maternal engagement with families served in
Lorain County. Growth was seen in multiple areas when compared to the state of Ohio’s
averages. Neighborhood Alliance maintains an average retention rate of 488 days compared
to the state retention rate of 238 days. Time between referral time and the first home visit
decreased to under 10 days, while the State of Ohio average was 13 days.
Tools and monitoring mechanisms are in place to increase family engagement, maintain high
retention rates, provide the full benefits of our services prior to a family exiting, and
increase the frequency of visits between the family and the Home visitor. Through this
collaborative families will continue to receive quality intensive services. Through personal
home visits, Home visitors teach skills necessary to help parents become effective parents.
Participation in HVCLN will ensure the best support visits to our families while reaching out to
more parents.