|
OUR MISSION:
Try-Again Homes, Incorporated is a private, non-profit corporation committed to providing safe nurturing places for children in need and dedicated to the growth, development, and empowerment of individuals and families for healthier communities.
•
Download the Foster / Adoptive Parent Application (Pennsylvania)
• Download the Foster / Adoptive Parent Application (West Virginia)
• Download the
Release of Information (Fairmont, WV)
• Download
the Release of Information (Parkersburg, WV)
• Download FAQ's about Foster parenting
• Download Foster Parenting Forms and Medical Worksheets
• Employment Opportunities
Each month, Try-Again Homes,
Incorporated will feature a different training
Try-Again Homes and continuing education
article. Please read the latest Foster Parent Training and Continuing Education Article.
1 5TH ANNUAL SPORTING CLAYS
SHOOT
Try-Again Homes, Inc. and Community Action Southwest will hold a Sporting Clays Shoot on Sunday,
September 25, 2011 at Hunting Hills in Dilliner, PA. Do not miss this
incredible opportunity to have an amazing experience at Hunting Hills.
This unique event partners sport and game with charity and goodwill,
creating a winning combination for everyone involved!
If you would like to
participate in our annual Clay Shoot, please contact Sheree Paschal at
724-225-0510, ext. 345 for more details or complete the attached
brochure and email to
slong@try-againhomes.org. To get additional
details, download the brochure.
OUR HISTORY:
Try-Again Homes was incorporated as a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation in 1976 by a group of ministers and lay people who felt a strong need to help abused, neglected and troubled children and families. Today, we serve more than 800 families throughout Pennsylvania and West Virginia annually. Our cost-effective, progressive programs are alternatives to institutional care and are geared to enhance and strengthen the lives of our families.
Board President's Message:
Brian J. Smith
As with all operating entities, TAH is constantly challenged
to allocate their limited resources to achieve optimal results.
However, unlike for profit entities where results are measured by
monetary means, results at TAH are measured by the improvement in
someone’s quality of life. It is for this reason that the directors,
officers, and employees remain steadfast in their dedication to the
continued growth and improvement of the Agency.
Fiscal 2008 was both challenging and rewarding, with
continued expansion of programs and services along with other
improvements. Fiscal 2009 will undoubtedly prove to be equally
challenging, given the continued soft economy and the resulting adverse
impact on individuals within our communities. However, I am confident
that TAH is properly prepared to meet whatever challenges may be
presented, and to continue serving the needs of the children and
families in our region.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE:
Gwendolyn T. Davis, MPA “Great necessities
call our great virtues” - Abigail Adams
Fiscal year 2008
was a year of transition and new challenges for the families we serve.
As families we serve have seen an uncertainty in the economy around
them, the need for services has changed as well. Many more families have
seen a greater and changing need for assistance. To assist children,
youth and families in this time, Try-Again Homes has been cognizant in
shaping services provided to address the nuances of the challenges
today.
Try-Again Homes has continued to focus on the need of
the community and children we serve. As we continue to strive to be a
leader in quality services in the community, we continue to be
appreciative of the graciousness of the community who has supported the
efforts of Try-Again Homes and continues to do so in turbulent economic
times. We have so many who have put forth their efforts to assist in
anyway they can such as donations and general community support.
As we work toward our strategic plan in the years to
come, it is with great honor and responsibility we look to provide
quality services to create healthy communities.
Clinical Director's Report:
Alison Leon, MA, LPC, LSW, ALPS Clinical Director
In these difficult economic times, Try-Again Homes, Inc.
continues to push forward in an effort to provide quality,
cost-effective services to the children, youth, and families we serve.
It is an unfortunate irony that at the very time more and more members
of the West Virginia and Pennsylvania communities served by TAH are in
need, the funding streams that make those services possible are also
negatively affected by the economic downturn. It is this very fact
that makes it imperative that we continue to strive to provide
high-quality services that demonstrate excellent stewardship of the
funds with which we have been entrusted.
Along these lines, the Quality Improvement Committee
of TAH has continued to expand and include all aspects of our agency:
services, human resources, finances, and risk management. The inclusion
of all agency departments has the effect of improving communication,
streamlining problem-solving, and setting up contingencies to address
any unusual or emerging trends and concerns that may arise, as well as
helping us to maximize the impact of the funding dollars that we receive
or are granted.
One new area of focus in the past year has been the
emergency response initiative that was introduced by Christie Cross
after the PA Foster Care program was invited to participate in a
county-wide plan for Fayette County Children’s services. The emergency
response plan that was created allows for communication with our
clients, foster families, and staff in the event of an emergency as well
as emergency procedures and equipment for each of the TAH offices and
Residential Facilities. Staff from each program and office cooperated in
this effort and brought about a comprehensive plan for Try-Again Homes,
Inc. across both states that should suffice in the event of a local or
national emergency.
As always, the Foster Care Outcome Reports prepared
monthly by both state’s foster care programs not only indicate a high
quality of foster care provision as indicated by the safety and security
standards; but also a high degree of family involvement, close
supervision and cooperation between TAH and our foster families, and
excellent permanency outcomes for the children leaving our foster care
programs. We believe that the visitation component of foster care
provision allows us to increase family reunification and create better
outcomes for those children for whom reunification and/or kinship care
is not an option. The two West Virginia offices have had the good
fortune this year to be able to add to the comfort of these visits by
adding playground equipment and outdoor furniture to accommodate a much
more natural, family-friendly environment in which these visits can
occur.
All programs are currently involved in the CQI
process and there is good participation across program staff. This
raises the awareness of all staff to issues of quality and ultimately
the outcomes that these programs produce. In going forward the hope is
that those programs that produce good outcomes and are effective,
family-friendly and as non-restrictive as is feasible will rise to the
surface and be recognized as worthy of continued funding.
Kimberly A. Gavran, Director of PA Operations
Being the current Director of Operations at Try-Again
Homes, Inc. and an employee for 18 years, I am fortunate enough to have
explored many creative avenues and myriad of possibilities on which we
continue to embark while maintaining a strong commitment to youth and
families we serve.
Although financial struggles abound across the state
in some of the programs we offer to youth and families, this past year,
has allowed us to open another office in a neighboring county of
Westmoreland. The visibility has been meaningful for those to see the
commitment of Try-Again Homes, Inc. staff. Our involvement with the
National Family Development Training and Credentialing Program validates
the strength-based approach we deliver in all of our services.
Our agency will continue to open new doors as others
close in the upcoming year but through perseverance, we will continue to
focus on serving our community. I think it is important for me to thank
all of you for your dedication and for the many relationships Try-Again
Homes has established over the years. It is important that you know we
listen, appreciate and act on your needs while continuing to adapt to
the ever-changing needs of youth and families.
Child Welfare Through Community Building
We know that no one child and family serving system has the mandate, resources, or reach to address the personal issues or social and community conditions that are related to risk factors faced by families involved with child welfare systems. Hundreds of thousands of children and
families are helped every day by the child welfare system and other child and family serving systems. Millions more, however, do not have access to available, appropriate, or equitable services and support. For far too many children and families, the failure to meet these human needs and basic rights has significant consequences. This includes lives filled with pain, suffering, and quiet desperation. Even so, Try-Again Homes has learned and on occasion succeeded. Community building is becoming an essential part of all aspects of Try-Again's development. When we work in or influence these systems, fundamentally change our roles with one another, change our relationships with the children, youth, and families we serve, and actively engage community stakeholders, we provide more
strategic supports and can collaboratively achieve more effective outcomes for this most vulnerable population. This is the work before us. Community building helps return social work to its core mission of addressing families social, economic, and emotional needs. What is different from the past and reflective of visions of the future, is that in community building, the social worker's role is to build capacity in families and communities as they define their own goals, solutions, and assets. When community's residents do this, they learn they are capable of change and capable of caring for other families and neighbors. As you review our fiscal and operational performance over the 2006 & 2007 fiscal year, you will undoubtedly notice some thematic continuums within all our programs, and their ability to offer services to each and every child. It is our belief that with the continued support of individuals, corporations, and the foundations, this trend will continue and even flourish.
|