LIFT Community Action Agency’s (LIFT CAA) mission is to improve the lives of low-income individuals and families through service and collaboration leading to self-sufficiency.” LIFT CAA’s primary service area is the rural region of Choctaw, McCurtain, and Pushmataha counties in southeastern Oklahoma. The PFF grant will support the Family Support and Resiliency Initiative.
PFF funding will allow for the creation of a new Family Advocate staff position and associated costs, a key component of the initiative where the purpose will be to provide evidence-based family support services to children prenatal to age 5 and their families. Additionally, the project will focus on developing child, family and community resilience, supporting early relational health, and preventing and mitigating adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
The Family Advocate will work in conjunction with programming staff to fill service gaps, work directly with families to assess their needs, provide support, and connect them with appropriate services and resources such as mental health services, housing assistance, childcare, etc.
Other targeted strategies for developing child, family, and community resilience through the project will include the provision of education/training over topics such as coping skills, routines, and stress management techniques, as well as the promotion of positive parent-child interactions and attachment.