Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #104790

Natalie A. Steele, MPH, Hatfield School of Government, Portland State University, PO Box 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751, 503-725-8354, nsteele@pdx.edu, Sherril B. Gelmon, DrPH, Hatfield School of Governement, Portland State University, Public Administration Division, URBN 650; 506 SW Mill, Portland, OR 97207, Eric Einspruch, PhD, RMC Research Corporation, 522 SW Fifth Ave., Suite 1407, Portland, OR 97204-2131, and Kevin Donegan, Willamette Bridge, Janus Youth Programs, Inc., 707 NE Couch St., Portland, OR 97232-2922.

Project Metamorphosis is a community-wide collaboration of agencies providing alcohol, drug, mental health and other social services to homeless youth in Portland, OR. A key component of the system is the Recovery Transition Advocate (RTA) program. RTAs are recovering former homeless youth who are employed by Project Metamorphosis to perform outreach and support to homeless youth. Part of a collaborative service team, RTAs also provide insight to management and propose creative improvements to Project Metamorphosis.

The RTA program is an innovative systems approach to providing alcohol, drug abuse and mental health services to homeless youth. In a three year grant funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a collaborative evaluation team from Portland State University and RMC Research Corporation examined the RTA role, the RTA experience, job hazards, boundary issues and health and social issues.

Through shadowing, observation, interviews and focus groups, the evaluation team explored the experiences of RTAs and the barriers and challenges of incorporating an RTA program into a system of service delivery.

In this presentation, representatives will present study findings, articulate and describe the role of the RTA, discuss boundary issues and offer strategies and suggestions for replication of the RTA program in other settings.

Learning Objectives:

• - To describe a multi-agency approach to employing former homeless youth as peer treatment advocates.
• - To present the results of a detailed study of current RTAs, former RTAs and key professionals.
• - To illustrate barriers and challenges of employing RTAs and job hazards of placing RTAs in a potentially compromising environment.
• - To identify evidence-based lessons that are transferable to other communities for implementing similar functions of a peer treatment advocate program.

Keywords: Homeless, Substance Abuse Treatment

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation