Dr. Carmela DeCandia, PsyD ’99, will be participating in a Congressional Briefing on June 6, 2017. The briefing will be held in the Washington, DC, and has bipartisan support. Sponsored by the APA, the briefing is based on the special issue of child and family homelessness in the journal, Advances in Child and Family Policy and Practice, produced by APA Division 37. DeCandia is on the panel to represent her article on assessment.
Dr. Carmela DeCandia is a 1999 graduate of the PsyD in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University New England, and recipient of the AUNE Horace Mann 2016 Spirit of Service Awards. She has her own practice in the Boston area that focuses on assessment, and has been an advocate for those who are homeless for many years.
DeCandia, C. J., Bassuk, E.L., Richard, M. (2017). Assessment of Families Experiencing Homelessness: Analysis of Current Practice. Advances in Child and Family Policy and Practice, SpringerBriefs Series Child and Family Well-Being and Homelessness, pp 49-63. Available at: http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-319-50886-3_4
Although research indicates that families experiencing homelessness struggle with both structural needs (e.g., housing and income) and psychosocial issues, the assessment process varies considerably among programs serving these families. In this study, we systematically evaluated the initial intake and assessment process of a convenience sample of 55 emergency shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing programs serving homeless families. Results provide support for culturally competent, family-oriented, and trauma-informed assessment of homeless families. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.
Review: “DeCandia, Bassuk, and Richard provide a vital look at the relevance and nature of assessment practices when homeless families enter shelter. This survey provides a loud wake-up call for responsive assessments of children and parents. Without such baseline measures, services can’t be matched to needs, and any objective determination of the effects of housing and services on well-being is impossible.” Britner & Farrell (2017)
