Project Launch: 3-6-23

Led by Black and Latinx mothers across New York City, Rise's mission is to support parents’ leadership to dismantle the family policing system (known as the child welfare system) by eliminating cycles of harm, surveillance and punishment and creating communities that invest in families and offer collective care, healing and support. Rise's Peer Care Network works to improve health and mental health in Black, Latinx and low-income NYC communities, focusing on families at risk of system involvement in the Lower East Side and the Bronx. 

NYC’s lack of accessible mental and behavioral health support for low-income families puts intense pressure on schools and community organizations to address family crises. However, schools and organizations often do not have the capacity to address these issues. Additionally, parents navigating school and behavioral health support systems often don’t know what resources and services are available.  This disconnect leads to stress and isolation, deteriorating relationships, and ultimately, schools calling the hotline for ACS (Administration for Children’s Services) to investigate.  The Peer Care Network is designed to fill a significant gap by improving the ability of schools and community organizations to refer struggling families to parent-led support groups and Peer Supporters who connect parents to community resources. Peer Supporters focus on immediately decreasing stressors in families' lives by providing spaces for person-centered care, sharing resources and information and offering one-on-one support.  

With support from World Connect, 10-20 Peer Supporters will work with 50 families.  The Peer Care Program pilot will track the impact of peer support on health access, family health outcomes and number of ACS hotline calls. Organizational partners include the Lower East Side Girls Club where Peer Supporters will receive training and support, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and Legal Aid Society who will facilitate workshops within the training. Parents often trust other parents from their community who know how to access services, share information and provide person-centered support. The Peer Care Program will create highly-networked communities that are more able to make use of existing resources, address challenges early and provide mutual support for families to thrive.