Measuring Impact
News from GSSWSR: Bryn Mawr plays an important role in a new initiative from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation
The intent behind the Next Level program was clear: to help young adults in the LGBTQ+ community, particularly BIPOC, trans, and nonbinary individuals, build economic stability.
鈥淏ut we weren鈥檛 100 percent sure how to measure that,鈥 says Ellen Kahn, M.S.S. 鈥93, vice president of programs and partnerships at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation.
That鈥檚 where Tamarah Moss, newly tenured associate professor of social work and social research, came in. Moss, along with M.S.S. candidate Shelby Statham, is working to measure the outcomes of HRC Foundation鈥檚 Next Level pilot program, which is taking place at two LGBTQ+ community centers in Rochester, N.Y. and Allentown, Pa.
If the pilot proves successful, the program could be rolled out on a larger scale.
To gauge that success, Moss and Statham are surveying participants and administrators in the program to better understand how it assists in financial literacy, job readiness, and overall wellness, which includes identifying barriers to housing, food, and childcare affecting the participants. It鈥檚 not just how do they survive, Moss says, but 鈥渉ow do they thrive?鈥
The program came out of a need the HRC Foundation recognized in helping individuals in the LGBTQ+ community who were struggling with economic stability, such as setting up checking accounts, establishing or improving credit, or completing education.
鈥淲hen you think about where the term 鈥榤arginalized鈥 comes from, you鈥檙e just pushed outside in all of these critically important parts of life,鈥 Kahn says. 鈥淥ne example, especially in the trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive communities, is there can be anxiety literally walking into a brick-and-mortar bank to open an account.鈥
Between Kahn, Moss, and Statham, Bryn Mawr is well-represented in this work.
鈥淲e work with social work鈥搕rained folks at the HRC Foundation that bring the values and perspective of our profession,鈥 Moss says, 鈥渁ligning with our practice code of ethics, and our acknowledgment of person and environment and thinking through not just finances and being ready for work but the wellness piece given the disparities faced by LGBTQ+ communities and the systems that they navigate every day.鈥
Statham has worked in rape crisis centers and recognizes that evaluation can seem 鈥渘on-trauma informed.鈥 But in working with Moss, she also sees how analysis can help improve systems and benefit the mission of an organization. 鈥淥ne thing I鈥檝e really loved working with Dr. Moss and HRC is the attention to centering cultural responsiveness throughout the entire program development,鈥 Statham says.
鈥淲hen you think about where the term 鈥榤arginalized鈥 comes from, you鈥檙e just pushed outside in all of these critically important parts of life." - Ellen Kahn, M.S.S. 鈥93
The community-based organizations (CBOs) in the pilot were chosen in part because their locations reflected both urban and rural areas. LGBTQ+ centers in major cities are more likely to have this kind of programming, the HRC Foundation found when doing background research for Next Level. The evaluations by Moss and Statham also include surveying the CBO teams to see what support the HRC Foundation can provide them and how they can build a stronger relationship and further their mutual goals.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 expanded everyone鈥檚 idea of what partnership looks like and who those partners can be,鈥 Moss says.
Published on: 05/30/2024