R.E.A.C.H. Families Project | CAARE | UC Davis Children Hospital

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
REACH families project services diagram
Our community partners
  • Mustard Seed School

    Through 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

    Learn more about Mustard Seed School
  • Volunteers of America shelter

    We 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

    Visit the family shelter page
  • Saint John’s Program for Real Change

    Saint 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.

    Visit St. John’s Program for Real Change site
Smiling boy holding hand of man while they walk
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