Lee Heagerty, Program Director

At the heart of the HPP is our Community Health Worker Training Program—which trains formerly homeless mothers as CHWs. The CHWs mirror the population we serve. They, too, have had to grapple with homelessness, substance abuse, child custody, or domestic violence. The training program is 12 months long. The first nine months are for on-the-job training and the remaining three months are devoted to job search activities. The training component includes education in client assessment techniques, support group facilitation, client advocacy and referrals to appropriate programs.

Additionally, CHWs are trained in peer support skills and outreach. In groups of two, they go into the community to perform outreach. They go to shelters, to densely populated neighborhoods in the Tenderloin and the Mission, and to jails. The CHWs participate in the training program for 32 hours a week. Part of the paid training consists of continuing education at City College.