How the BLACK MOTHER Collective Impact Navigation Program Is Empowering Families to Thrive

At The BLACK Collaborative Inc., we know that families do not live single-issue lives. Families face many challenges that often overlap. A mother might be pregnant while struggling with housing instability. A parent may need diapers, transportation, mental health support, food, or help understanding Medicaid. Caregivers often juggle unemployment, stress, homelessness, or a lack of family support. These complex realities require a flexible, compassionate approach that meets families where they are.

The BLACK MOTHER Collective Impact Care Navigation Program was created to address these needs directly. Our program is designed to support teen mothers, pregnant and postpartum women, parents, guardians, and children through community-based care navigation. We walk alongside families to help connect them to the services, resources, education, and support they need to move toward stability and wellness.

The BLACK Collaborative Inc.'s CHW's supporting families in the community.

Community health workers provide hands-on support to families in their own neighborhoods.

What Care Navigation Means for Families

Care navigation helps families find their way through complex systems that can feel confusing or overwhelming. Many families face multiple challenges at once, and navigating healthcare, social services, and community programs can be difficult without guidance. Our Community Health Workers help families identify needs, set goals, complete referrals, connect with community resources, and follow through with support. We do not judge where a family is starting from. We meet families where they are and help them take the next step.

The BLACK MOTHER program uses Community Health Workers who:

• Identify each family’s unique needs

• Help set achievable goals

• Complete referrals to appropriate services

• Connect families with local resources

• Follow up to ensure ongoing support

  
  

This approach does not judge families based on where they start. Instead, it meets them where they are and helps them take the next step toward stability and wellness.

Who the Program Supports

The program serves three main groups, each with specific needs:

Pregnant Clients

This group includes teen mothers and pregnant individuals who need support during pregnancy and postpartum. Services include:

• Birth preparation education

• Health education tailored to pregnancy

• Connection to prenatal care providers

• Postpartum planning and support

  
  

For example, a pregnant teenager facing housing instability can receive help finding safe shelter, prenatal care, and parenting classes all through one point of contact.

Adult Clients

This group includes parents, guardians, caregivers, and postpartum women who may need assistance with:

• Housing and food security

• Employment resources

• Health coverage and Medicaid navigation

• Mental wellness support

• Transportation to appointments

• Family stability and basic needs

  
  

An adult client might be a single mother who recently lost her job and needs help applying for food assistance, finding childcare, and accessing mental health counseling.

Pediatric Clients

This group includes infants, toddlers, children, and youth who may require:

• Access to healthcare and immunizations

• Diapers and hygiene supplies

• Safety resources

• Developmental screenings and early intervention services

  
  

For example, a family with a toddler who has developmental delays can be connected to early intervention programs and receive supplies to support the child’s health.

How the Program Works in Practice

The program starts with a simple conversation. A Community Health Worker listens to the family’s story and helps identify immediate and long-term needs. Together, they create a plan that fits the family’s situation.

Here’s a typical process:

1. Assessment

   The worker gathers information about the family’s current challenges and strengths

2. Goal Setting

   The family and worker decide on clear, manageable goals, such as securing stable housing or enrolling in a parenting class.

3. Referral and Connection

   The worker helps complete paperwork and connects the family to community programs, clinics, or social services.

4. Follow-up

   Regular check-ins ensure the family stays on track and adjusts the plan as needed.

   
   

This hands-on support reduces stress and confusion, making it easier for families to access the help they need.

Why Community-Based Care Navigation Matters

Black mothers, babies, and families deserve care that sees the whole person, the whole family, and the whole community. The BLACK MOTHER Collective Impact model is rooted in health equity, trust, advocacy, and community care. We know that improving maternal and child health means addressing more than medical appointments. It also means helping families access safe housing, food, transportation, emotional support, education, employment resources, and basic supplies.

When families are supported, communities are stronger.

Care navigation also prevents families from falling through cracks. For example, a postpartum mother struggling with depression might not seek help on her own. A Community Health Worker can recognize signs early and connect her to mental health services before problems worsen.

Sign Up for Support

If you are a teen mother, pregnant, postpartum, a parent, guardian, or caregiver, we encourage you to sign up for the BLACK MOTHER Collective Impact Care Navigation Program.

Our services are free to enrolled clients.

You do not have to navigate this alone. Our Community Health Workers are here to help you identify your needs, connect to resources, and support your family’s next steps.

To learn more or enroll, contact The BLACK Collaborative Inc. at 513-403-2411 or https://www.keepersofblack.org/get-help

Because every Black mother, baby, parent, caregiver, and child deserves care, dignity, and support.