Living Well

LIFE SKILLS EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM

Living Well Life Skills Empowerment Program is a 14-week, 28-session trauma-informed care program developed to assist women who have experienced the joint traumas of domestic abuse and homelessness. The Living Well program is based on a program model developed in 1990 by the Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing and New York Catholic Charities to serve those who have been homeless. The model has been adapted to directly address issues faced by domestic violence survivors. The Beck Institute at Fordham University supports these groups through research, finding that participants in the Life Skills Empowerment Programs experience reduced levels of trauma and increased coping skills after completion of the program. The group size is typically 8-10 women per cycle, and their children are welcomed.


If you are interested in learning more about how to become a participant, email our Living Well Coordinator here.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS:

● Personal Stories: Participants engage in healing dialogue with each other, and are guided in sharing and understanding their life experiences. Toward the end of the program the women are invited to share their stories, to whatever degree they are comfortable, at an invitation only speaking event.

● Psychoeducation: Participants receive an introduction to the symptoms and results of trauma to enable them to begin letting go of shame.

● Story Development and Goal Setting with Mentors: Each participant works one-on-one with a volunteer mentor during select sessions to work on developing their personal narratives. In addition, mentors and group sessions assist women in setting short-term goals for themselves.

● Case Management: The program also is supported by a social worker to provide an additional layer of support and services to the participants while they are in the program.

● Incentives: Shared home-cooked meal, childcare, MetroCards, and a lump sum financial stipend for sessions attended.


PARTICIPANT REQUIREMENTS FOR CANDIDACY:

● Are recently or presently homeless and have experienced domestic violence

● Have already developed a high level of stability and security and are no longer in imminent danger

● Are able to attend sessions twice a week on a regular basis

● Are able to read and write at a minimum of 6th grade level with English proficiency

● Must be clean from drug or alcohol abuse for at least 6 months and are committed to staying clean, and if applicable attending day programs, or AA, NA, etc.

● Are interested in learning and sharing about themselves

● Are interested in connecting with a supportive group in a positive nurturing environment


If you are interested in ministering to the participants of our Living Well programs by providing a meal or dessert, please email volunteer@rmmnyc.org.