Our Initiatives
Adverse Childhood Experiences Harm Reduction Initiative
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE's) have long-term harmful implications on mental, emotional and physical health for those who are or were exposed to them. Experiences such as: emotional, physical , and sexual abuse, emotional and physical neglect, domestic violence, household substance abuse, household mental illness, parental separation or divorce and incarcerated household members are all examples of ACE's. Ravens Provision seeks to mitigate the impact and consequences of ACE's for children and adults by providing preventative and supportive services to stabilize families and reduce harmful generational cycles.
Foster Youth initiative
Approximately 23,000 youth age out of the foster care system nationally annually. 65% (14,950) of those youth are in need of immediate shelter and 5% of the homeless population are unaccompanied youth. Ravens Provision seeks to reduce the amount of youth that have to face a future of being funneled into the general, burdened homeless population. Foster youth aging out of foster care present with a unique set of needs that require specialized housing to protect them from risk of harm in society.
Providing supportive assistance can improve their outcome and reduce disheartening statistics. The majority of youth will not thrive without some type of support after "aging out" of the foster care system. Ravens Provision has hopes toward an ambitious dream of providing a resource center, mental health care and residential housing to meet these needs in the future. In the meanwhile, Ravens Provision seeks to support the needs of these youth in the local community by assisting with needs to secure employment such as transportation assistance, household supplies, food, and personal care etc.
Mental Health Initiative
Mental health is a service that continues to be underutilized in many communities but especially within BIPOC communities. The reasons for this can be varied such as: not having access, stigma, embarrassment, lack of finances, lack of support and a lack of trust. No matter the reason, it doesn't negate the impact untreated mental health concerns can have on a person. In fact, a person risks dealing with severe mental health difficulty later if there is no early intervention.
Did you know that on average it takes approximately 11 years for a person to have treatment for the first time from when they initially experienced distress? Ravens Provision offers mental health support on a variety of topics to groups, churches, communities and other entities. Having honest and open conversation about mental health and day-to-day struggles can lead to a healing process that can improve overall functioning long term.
Houseless Population Initiative
At the beginning of 2022, approximately 582,462 people were experiencing some type of homelessness.* 40% of them were unsheltered. There are many health risks that come along with living unsheltered and exposed to the elements on a regular basis. Some of these health risks are dehydration, malnutrition, skin conditions and mental health disorders related to traumatic experiences related to homelessness. One third of the homeless population are children and they are subjected to similar risks as their parents.
Ravens Provision offers supplies and resources to support hydration, personal hygiene, basic first aid, nutrition and mental health for adults and children.