UNM's Center for Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions has been awarded two grants worth $2.7 million for programs that will provide and test treatment for substance abuse among homeless street youth.
Assistant Research Professor Dr. Natasha Slesnick earned the grants from the National Institutes of Health for Project STAR, which stands for Serving & Treating Albuquerque's Runaways, and Project TEAM, which stands for Treatment Evaluation and Adult Mentoring.
The first grant, a four-year, $2,205,354 million award, was given by agencies supervised by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and is geared toward treatment only.
The second, a two-year grant awarded for $495,471 by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, will help fund both the treatment and a mentoring program. Both the agencies that awarded the grants fall under the umbrella of the National Institutes of Health.
The purpose of the grants is to allow UNM to work with homeless youth ages 14-20 who have no place of shelter and are in need of services and shelter where they can receive supervision and care.
"These are one of the first treatment evaluation projects with street youth in the country," Slesnick said in a UNM statement. "Homeless youth will be randomly assigned to either the Community Reinforcement Approach and adult mentoring or service as usual through a drop-in center. All youths will be contacted in intervals of three and six months so that we can compare our intervention to what the drop-in center provides."
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The Community Reinforcement Approach being tested was developed by the project co-investigator, Dr. Robert Meyers. The Community Reinforcement Approach is an empirically-based, multifaceted approach to substance abuse treatment that also addresses many of the clinical needs of homeless people with multiple problems.
The approach uses a theoretical perspective based on the belief that environmental positive reinforcers, such as money and positive relationships, and punishers, such as health problems and loss of job, can play a powerful role in encouraging or discouraging behavior.
It also uses several different strategies to address multiple problems that these youth face. The approach is multi-systemic in that it directs intervention to the individuals and their relationships, as well as to social contexts that influence them.
Youth In Transition, an Albuquerque drop-in center, is participating in the program. The center will serve as a recruiting facility for homeless youth. Some of these youth were kicked out of their homes, while others may have left without their parent's permission to escape physical or sexual abuse or high levels of family conflict.
Project TEAM will utilize adult mentors for two years. The mentors will meet with youth weekly for 12 weeks during the treatment period to help provide a positive experience with a trusted adult.
Slesnick's interest in homeless and runaway youth, and in becoming a voice for troubled youth, started in graduate school where her emphasis was on family relationships, adolescent depression and substance abuse. She provided treatment to several families where the youth had run away from home in her postdoctoral appointment.
For more information the two projects, call program manager Isela Roeder at 768-0145.
Staff Report
