Program areas at CLUES
Economic prosperity services includes a wide array of services that incorporate workforce development, employment services, education services, financial empowerment, and the learning together program under one holistic system of service delivery. Clues helps clients to build on their strengths and overcome barriers to employment, family stability, and long-term self-sufficiency. The agency's economic prosperity program uses a bi-lingual, culturally-proficient approach to help low-income, underserved latino and new immigrant communities to develop economic security and create and sustain wealth. These economic advancement programs set the stage for the long-term prosperity of the clients served through workforce development/ employment, english-as-a-second-language (esl) courses, adult basic education classes, job placement assistance, financial education, and parental support groups that educate parents on the u.s. school system. This approach provides them with the tools and resources to actively support themselves and encourage their children's long-term social and academic growth. Many partners are needed to help expand access to resources and opportunities for underserved latino youth and adults.
Community health services (chs) focuses on addressing health disparities affecting latino community members not only in the metropolitan area of minneapolis-st paul, and in some rural areas in southern Minnesota. Clues has a strong background working with the latino community around chronic disease prevention, policy, and systems and environmental (pse) change. Clues has led a strong coalition of latino leaders, local churches, community groups, cbo's, colleges, and local institutions committed to implement local pse changes among latino communities. Through the utilization of community health navigators, chs offers early interventions through education & access and promotes healthy behaviors among latino communities, families, and individuals. Community health workers disseminate health promotion and prevention education around tobacco cessation, exposure to second-hand smoke, diabetes prevention, drugs and alcohol, chronic disease self-management through the "tomando control de su salud" (taking control of your health) workshop model, healthy eating, active living, and sex education through a teen pregnancy prevention program. Specific interventions within community health services range from community engagement at large cultural, ethnic, religious events to one-on-one direct services through home visit education, tobacco cessation, and health care access. The chs department expanded its canasta familiar/ food pop-up program to allow east and west metro residents access to healthy and cultural food. Clues is currently serving approximately over 600 families weekly.
Behavioral health services: behavioral health (bh) services focuses on addressing mental health disparities affecting latino community members in terms of access to services and provision of services in a culturally responsive manner. Bh involves both mental health as well as chemical health programs. Bh services are provided by qualified clinical social workers, counselors, marital and family therapists, and a psychologist and a psychiatrist all of whom are fully bilingual in english and spanish. Mental health services are offered to individuals 5 years old and older with all kind of mental health related needs except eating disorders or other complex issues requiring inpatient care. Mental health services include outpatient individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapy, not only onsite, but also in school; psychiatric services for individuals receiving psychotherapy at clues; children therapeutic support services (ctss) for minors who present behavioral issues related to some underlying emotional condition; case management support services for children who have been diagnosed with a mental health condition; and mental health assessments for immigration-related cases. Chemical health services are provided to adults struggling with all kind of addictive behaviors not only to those struggling with drugs and/ or alcohol. Chemical health services are offered in english and spanish and they include "rule 25" assessments (to determine potential addictive behaviors and level of intervention needed), treatment groups, and early intervention educational programs such as driving with care. The treatment groups use a model of intervention specifically developed by clues clinicians for members of the latino community.
Family services address latino family needs through advocacy, parenting education, community resources education, access assistance, referrals, and case management. By teaching positive parenting and coping skills, clues helps to improve the health and emotional well-being of children and families. These parenting skills, acquired through parent peer-support groups, addresses such complex and interrelated issues as isolation, lack of extended family support, and acculturation.