“Something that has been meaningful for us is to finally have a therapist who identifies as Black and identifies as a male in my child’s service provider network. It’s been a real challenge with not only obtaining a therapist, but one that is a male and Black.”
— Ma'at Family Member
There is no other program like HCN's Ma'at Program in San Francisco, and this report from the second year of the program highlights why. Not only does Ma'at aim to improve behavioral health outcomes for Black/African American individuals and families in San Francisco, but it addresses the historical legacy of intergenerational racism, inequity, and trauma within the community. Ma'at is a true community mental health model. For every young person that therapists have a relationship with, they interact with an average of nine other community members who support that young person. Key findings from interviews and surveys of children, youth, and caregivers participating in the Ma'at Program are all detailed in this report.
If you were to ask [my child] ‘Are you happy that you're an African American man?’ he would say yeah, he is happy now. If you asked him that before he started working with [the therapist], he’d tell you no.
In April 2021, HCN received funding from San Francisco's Dream Keeper Initiative to provide to the Black/African American community general mental health services, mental health services for LGBTQI+ individuals, and early childhood mental health consultation. The funds augmented the services provided by HCN's Ma'at Program, which utilizes a unique Afri-centric model of mental health service provision. This report highlights the findings and outcomes from the first three months.
The culmination of this City's community leadership and vision-holders, embraced within an affirming and fiercely committed Black community, is paving the path for our families, children, adults, and neighborhoods to new heights of excellence.
Now is the time to deepen the daily commitment among partners, work heart to heart with all aspects of the community in mind, align our strategies of transformation, and author our future with programming, ideas, services, and resources—all that will be sustained for generations to come!
This Year One evaluation report of Homeless Children's Network's Ma'at Program tells a data story of community engagement and program implementation to deliver Afri-centric, whole person wellness to underserved Black/African American families in communities across San Francisco.
Deeply trusting, well-established relationships in the Black community that are based solely on unapologetic Afri-centric affirming foundations, function as the life-line between systems of care and Black families.
HCN has three decades of experience supporting LGBTQ+ families in accessing mental health services and needed supports. Dr. April Y. Silas, HCN's Executive Director, has been a thought leader and resounding voice for change in the Black/African American and LGBTQ+ communities in San Francisco for more than 30 years. Under the leadership of Dr. Silas, we are in the process of building a larger Black LGBTQ+ movement as part of our Ma’at Program.
Soul of Pride and SF Pride, reaching more than 1 million people annually, are longtime partners in HCN's outreach and community building. Soul of Pride has celebrated Black pride and worked to unite and represent the LGBTQ+ community of the African Diaspora in the Bay Area and beyond for over 20 years.
Why is this movement so important right now? Black/African American LGBTQ+ children, youth, families, and elders are living through the devastating impacts of multiple, ongoing crises. Our communities are disproportionately impacted by the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, we must contend with displacement, isolation, housing insecurity, and the generations of trauma wrought by anti-Black racism compounded by homophobia.
Black LGBTQ+ young people and families in San Francisco are in urgent need of healing and support. HCN's Ma'at Program is building this movement to be here for our communities.
