Homelessness and housing instability have been shown to have significant impacts on mothers and their children, affecting physical and mental health, developmental outcomes, and overall well-being. Mothers experiencing homelessness are also more likely to struggle with mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.
The New York City Department of Homeless Services (NYC DHS) has had a longstanding commitment to supporting mothers and their families through targeted services and supports. One of these many programs is the MOMS Partnership, with its latest initiative offered at CAMBA, Inc. CAMBA serves over 73,000 individuals in 180+ programs across 100 locations, and beginning in January 2025, the MOMS Stress Management Course is one of the newest offerings at two CAMBA shelters, Evergreen and the Park. This collaboration is an extension of the larger NYC DHS MOMS PartnershipSM.
The NYC DHS MOMS Partnership (NYC DHS MOMS) began with the pilot implementation of the MOMS Partnership model and delivery of the MOMS Stress Management Course in two BronxWorks family shelters between 2021 – 2022. The current project will expand NYC DHS MOMS through implementation and evaluation of MOMS Stress Management in two family shelters operated by CAMBA. In addition to testing the replicability of initial results, the current project will test an alternative, “leaner” staffing model that may prove useful for MOMS implementation in the shelter setting.
The evaluation will utilize a cross-over design to assess the equivalence and non-inferiority of this comparison model. Impact will be measured with and without the presence of a Community Mental Health Ambassador (CMHA) co-teaching classes at each shelter. Results are expected to be disseminated by the summer of 2026.
"We are extremely excited and honored to be a part of this program," said Kerry Flanagan, Senior Vice President of Family Shelter Services. “We look forward to sharing it with our moms and are confident that it will serve as a rich resource for both our mothers and staff."
This work is funded by the Robin Hood Foundation and has been approved by the NYC Office of Research and Policy Innovation.