CAARE Diagnostic and Treatment Center
REACH Families Project
The REACH Families Project is an outreach program that provides resources, education, advocacy and counseling for homeless familes in the Sacramento area. The program was created by the team at the CAARE Diagnostic and Treatment Center at UC Davis and has a primary goal of promoting children’s positive mental health functioning.
Program funding and community partners
As part of a grant through the California Office of Emergency Services, we have partnered with Mustard Seed School, the Volunteers of America family shelter, and Saint John’s Program for Real Change to provide trauma-informed services on site to children and families experiencing homelessness.
Services we provide
- Screening for trauma and victimization
- Trauma-informed yoga for all children to help with emotion regulation skills
- Social skills groups for all children to help with social and emotional development
- Short term trauma-informed mental health services on site
- Trauma-informed parenting skills groups
- Crisis counseling on site
- Brief parenting intervention (PC-CARE) for parents and children
- Training for staff members in understanding the effects of trauma on behavior
- Advocacy to connect with other services
Our community partners
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Mustard Seed School
Learn more about Mustard Seed SchoolThrough the REACH Families Project, we have been working with the staff at Mustard Seed School for children experiencing homelessness, which serves children from preschool through eighth grade. At Mustard Seed, our staff visits weekly and offers psychological screening for children, individual and group mental health services for children, weekly yoga and mindfulness exercises for children, a social skills group for children, and a parenting skills and strategies group for parents experiencing homelessness.
Mustard Seed School
1321 N. C Street
Sacramento, CA 95811 -
Volunteers of America shelter
Visit the family shelter pageWe have been working with the staff at the Volunteers of America shelter for homeless families, supplying group mental health services and parenting strategies for parents experiencing homelessness. Services at the shelter include parenting skills groups, optional referral to a brief parenting intervention (PC-CARE) for parents and children, training for staff members in understanding the effects of trauma on behavior, as well as advocacy to connect with other services that may be needed.
Volunteers of America Shelter
400 Bannon Street
Sacramento, CA 95811 -
Saint John’s Program for Real Change
Visit St. John’s Program for Real Change siteSaint John’s Program for Real Change is a 12- to 18-month residential program designed for women experiencing homelessness and working though substance abuse recovery. The program offers housing for women and their children, life skills and educational programs, employment training, child care and individual mental health services for mothers. Our REACH team has partnered with Saint John’s to offer on-site trauma informed social skills and crisis support for children and youth, parenting skills and support groups as well as advocacy to connect to other services.
Helping vulnerable families with housing
CAARE Center Family Assistance Fund
The family assistance fund supports vulnerable families who are clients of the CAARE Center. Funds may be used to purchase items useful for newly housed families, such as bedding, toiletries, kitchenware, cleaning supplies, paper products, and baby care necessities. Funds also may be used to help families get needed community resources and services.
Questions? Please email inquiries regarding the REACH Families Project to AubJohnson@ucdavis.edu or DKBoys@ucdavis.edu
