Family Empowerment Forum
The Empowerment Forum is an annual gathering of families and individuals living in the community to learn self-advocacy and community living options and opportunities.

This event is held every other year.

Point of Information and Referral
Once a family is referred to Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities to be determined eligible for services they are referred to Families Helping Families.  Our office contacts the family and places them on our mailing lists.  We then address the support issues that need to be dealt with.  We pursue community resources and refer to other local agencies and collaborative work to resolve crisis.

State Department of Education
This contract allows us to bring a nationally known speaker to our area to keep parents and educators on the cutting edge of the trends.  The focus changes yearly based upon the need of the community.  In the 2005-2006 school year our emphasis will be on the re-authorization of IDEA, the new IEP format and other educational changes.

Education & Support of those with Dual Diagnoses
This program focuses on helping troubled students remain in their community school. Personnel attend ISC meetings, Evaluation & IEP meetings, assisting parents in coordination of services for their children with mental illness primarily emphasizing school attendance and program design.

Early Childhood Support and Services
ECSS is a local integrated comprehensive system of prevention & care for young children, age birth to age five.  It is a coordinated group of community supports & services promoting optimal functioning of these young children & their families.  These children, who have been identified at risk, receive interventions that involved coordinated screening, evaluation, referral, & treatment.  Staffings are done monthly and normally serve a minimum of 6 families at each meeting.

Children's Special Health Services Parent Liaisons
The Parent Liaisons attend clinics & are available to parents to provide emotional support, orientation material, information on available services, referrals, and/or transition planning.

Families Can't Wait
Families Helping Families and the Junior League of Monroe have joined forces to lend support, and share information with families of newborns at St. Francis Hospital.  The program, called Families Can't Wait is a collaborative effort to reach both first time mothers and the families whose children have medical concerns and are experienceing extended hospital stays.

Volunteers from both agencies visit families on a rotating schedule, assuring that the delivery/unit has visitation each weedk.  In addition to donating their time, they are well versed in the job they are doing, as they themselves have experienced the stress of parenting a child in the intensive care unit.  The staff of St. Francis is instrumental in connecting volunteers with the new mothers and others who will benefit from the shared information and assistance offered by Families Can't Wait.  Helpful packets of information address such issues as sleep positions and basic infant care, support opportunities, healthcare journals and an array of other local resources.

Early Steps
The Early Steps Parent Liaison is depended upon to coordinate activities related to the support of parents and families served by Louisiana?s early intervention program for infants & toddlers with special needs.

Peer to Peer
The Peer to  Peer Support Program is designed to give support to families of children with disabilities, chronic or terminal illness, prematurity or rare disorders.  New families are ?matched? to a trained volunteer Support Parent.

Lending Library
FHF maintains an extensive lending library of books, videos, and magazines that parents and professionals check out in library fashion.

Equipment Library
Through donations from parents, FHF maintains a storage building with various pieces of equipment commonly used by individuals with disabilities.  Families may borrow what they need at no cost.

Myre Crecink Memorial Discretionary Fund
There are limited funds available to assist families in times of crisis.  Common items that are provided through this fund include:  diapers, formula, food boxes and gas cards for medical trips to New Orleans, Little Rock or Memphis.

LaCAN - Louisiana Citizens for Action NOW
LaCAN is a statewide grassroots network of individuals & families who have worked together since 1998 advocating for a service system that supports individuals with disabilities to live in their own homes, rather than having to move to a facility to receive needed services.  Specifically, they have advocated for implementation of Louisiana?s Community & Family Support System Plan.

Parent Stipend
This program provides funding for parents and/or individuals with disabilities to attend workshops, conferences, and trainings.  Expenses for childcare, mileage, hotel, and registrations are included.

Faith Based Awareness
This is our program that provides information, education and support to area churches wishing to become involved in outreach to individuals with disabilities.

 First Friday Get Togethers
The First Friday Get Togethers are learning opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities held on, you guessed it, the First Friday of each month.  Topics of learning are chosen by the participants and then facilitated by a Families Helping Families of Northeast Louisiana, Inc. staff member.  This group has enjoyed learning more about self-determination, safety, community activities and volunteering.

Superman Lunch Bunch
The Lunch Bunches grew out of the First Friday Get Togethers.  The participants were requesting a time where they could just visit and support each other through their day to day issues.  The Ladies meet the 2nd Wednesday of each month and the Supermen meet the 1st Thursday of each month.  Both groups meet at the Piccadilly on Louisville in Monroe.