The recipient entity's physical address:
           4152 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70119

The recipient entity's mailing address (if different):
           4152 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70119

Type of Entity (for instance, a nonprofit corporation):  Non-Profit Corporation

If the entity is a corporation, list the names of the incorporators:
          

The last four digits of the entity's taxpayer ID number:  9750

What is the dollar amount of the request?  $1,200,000

What type of request is this?  General Appropriation

Is this entity in good standing with the Secretary of State?  Yes

Provide the name of each member of the recipient entity's governing board and officers:
           S. Chuck Viator, Chair
433 Metairie Road, Suite 309
Metairie, LA 70005

Tommy McGoey, Chair-Elect
701 Poydras Street, Suite 5000
New Orleans, LA 70139

Christy Ross, Secretary
1320 Saint Charles Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70130

Louis Colin, Treasurer
401 Whitney Avenue, Suite 202
Gretna, LA 70056

Voris Vigee, President & CEO
4152 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70119

Michelle Treschwig
166 Dunleith Lane
Mandeville, LA 70471

Stephen Schrempp
4917 Lake Vista Drive
Metairie, LA 70006

Lynn Swanson
5701 Sutton Place
New Orleans, LA 70131

David Vicknair
909 Poydras Street, Suite 2025
New Orleans, LA 70112

Elaine Williams
900 Convention Center Blvd.
New Orleans, LA 70130

Alec Andrade
701 Poydras Street, Suite 5000
New Orleans, LA 70139

Charique Richardson
1741 8th Street
Slidell, LA 70458

Brittny Barnes
10555 Lake Forest Blvd, Suite 5J
New Orleans, LA 70127

Marjorianna Willman
4100 Touro Street
New Orleans, LA 70122

Provide a summary of the project or program:
           Family Focused Recovery at Canal Landing is a residential substance use treatment program designed specifically for pregnant and parenting women. Operated by Volunteers of America Southeast Louisiana, the program provides trauma-informed, family-centered care that addresses substance use disorders alongside co-occurring mental health needs.

Located in New Orleans and able to serve women from across the state of Louisiana, Canal Landing offers a supportive, homelike environment where women can live with their young children while receiving comprehensive treatment, parenting support, and life skills training.

A key feature of the program is its comprehensive aftercare component, which ensures continuity of care beyond residential treatment. This includes individualized relapse prevention planning, case management, housing support, peer recovery services, and connections to employment and educational resources. The aftercare model emphasizes long-term stability for both mothers and their children, promoting family unity and sustained recovery.

What is the budget relative to the project for which funding is requested?:
          Salaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . $600,000
          Professional Services. . . $200,000
          Contracts . . . . . . . . . . . $0
          Acquisitions . . . . . . . . . $0
          Major Repairs . . . . . . . $0
          Operating Services. . . . $320,000
          Other Charges. . . . . . . $180,000

Does your organization have any outstanding audit issues or findings?  No

If 'Yes' is your organization working with the appropriate governmental agencies to resolve those issues or findings?
          

What is the entity's public purpose, sought to be achieved through the use of state monies?
          Volunteers of America Southeast Louisiana (VOASELA) seeks to advance the health, safety, and long-term stability of Louisiana families by addressing the intergenerational impact of substance use disorders among pregnant and parenting women. Through our Family Focused Recovery (FFR) program at Canal Landing, we provide residential treatment in a trauma-informed, family-centered environment that allows mothers to live with their children while receiving comprehensive behavioral health services. The public purpose of this work is to reduce substance use-related harm, promote family reunification, strengthen parenting capacity, and improve child well-being, while easing the burden on public systems such as child welfare, emergency healthcare, and the criminal justice system.

The requested state funds will ensure the continuity and enhancement of this essential service for some of Louisiana’s most vulnerable families. FFR at Canal Landing fills a critical gap by offering women a safe, stable, and supportive place to heal while caring for their children. Without this program, many women are forced to choose between seeking treatment and maintaining family unity - an impossible choice that often leads to untreated substance use, repeat involvement with the child welfare system, and continued cycles of trauma and poverty. FFR breaks that cycle by delivering wraparound care that includes mental health and substance use counseling, parenting education, case management, peer support, early childhood services, and a robust aftercare component to ensure long-term recovery and stability.

FFR also advances broader state priorities by reducing overdose risk, enhancing perinatal and maternal health outcomes, and supporting workforce reentry for women in recovery. In particular, the program contributes to Louisiana’s efforts to reduce maternal mortality, improve early childhood outcomes, and expand access to community-based behavioral health care. By preventing family separation and promoting reunification, FFR reduces foster care utilization and helps children remain in safe, nurturing environments; supporting their healthy development and reducing the likelihood of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

The public purpose of these state dollars, therefore, is not only to sustain a highly effective behavioral health intervention, but to invest in the future of Louisiana families. The funds will support direct services, staffing, aftercare supports, and operating infrastructure to ensure the program can continue meet demand. In doing so, the state will protect vulnerable children, support resilient families, and generate long-term public savings across systems.

VOASELA has a long-standing record of public service delivery across southeast Louisiana, including behavioral health, housing, reentry, and developmental disability services. With this supplemental allocation, we will preserve and expand a proven model of care that upholds human dignity, promotes recovery, and builds a healthier, more hopeful Louisiana for generations to come.

What are the goals and objectives for achieving such purpose?
          Volunteers of America Southeast Louisiana’s Family Focused Recovery (FFR) program at Canal Landing aims to improve outcomes for pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorders and their children by offering comprehensive, family-centered treatment and long-term recovery supports. The overarching goal is to interrupt the intergenerational cycle of substance use, family separation, and trauma, while reducing strain on public systems and advancing child and maternal health in Louisiana.

To achieve this public purpose, FFR is guided by the following core goals and objectives:

Goal 1: Improve Access to High-Quality, Family-Centered Substance Use Treatment
Objectives:

Provide safe, stable residential treatment services to at least 100 pregnant or parenting women annually, allowing them to reside with their children while in care.

Offer integrated substance use and mental health counseling using evidence-based models such as Seeking Safety, Motivational Interviewing, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Conduct individualized assessments and treatment planning within 72 hours of admission to tailor care to each family’s needs.

Ensure that all residents receive parenting support and trauma-informed care throughout the program.

Goal 2: Promote Healthy Child Development and Family Stability
Objectives:

Deliver early childhood supports, including developmental screenings, childcare, and enrichment activities, for at least 150 children annually.

Facilitate regular counseling sessions to strengthen parent-child bonds and address relational trauma.

Prevent unnecessary child removals and support safe family reunification by coordinating care with child welfare and legal systems when applicable.

Provide parenting classes and case management that emphasize child safety, attachment, and positive discipline.

Goal 3: Support Long-Term Recovery Through Robust Aftercare Services
Objectives:

Create individualized aftercare plans for 100% of graduating participants that include housing support, peer recovery coaching, relapse prevention, and access to continuing treatment.

Partner with community providers to offer transitional housing, employment services, and educational support post-discharge.

Maintain contact with participants following program exit to monitor progress and provide support during critical periods of reentry and reintegration.

Offer alumni programming and relapse prevention groups to build community and sustain long-term wellness.

Goal 4: Reduce System Involvement and Public Costs
Objectives:

Lower rates of foster care entry among children of participants.

Decrease emergency healthcare and justice system involvement for participants through early intervention and stabilization.

Strengthen cross-agency coordination to reduce fragmentation and ensure more efficient, family-centered service delivery.

Goal 5: Enhance Program Quality and Staff Capacity
Objectives:

Use state funding to retain and train qualified staff, including licensed clinicians, care coordinators, peer support specialists, and childcare professionals.

Implement annual staff development plans with a focus on trauma-informed care, maternal health, and culturally responsive practices.

Conduct internal evaluations of program performance annually and use findings to inform service improvements.

Maintain high standards of safety, dignity, and care by investing in ongoing facility maintenance and critical repairs.

Through these goals and objectives, the Family Focused Recovery program at Canal Landing fulfills its public purpose: empowering families to recover together, reducing harm, and building a foundation for lasting health, connection, and stability. With supplemental state investment, the program will expand its reach, improve quality, and enhance its long-term impact across southeast Louisiana.

What is the proposed length of time estimated by the entity to accomplish the purpose?
           12 months

If any elected or appointed state official or an immediate family member of such an official is an officer, director, trustee, or employee of the recipient entity who receives compensation or holds any ownership interest therein:
     (a) If an elected or appointed state official, the name and address of the official and the office held by such person:
                
    
     (b) If an immediate family member of an elected or appointed state official, the name and address of such person; the name, address, and office of the official to whom the person is related; and the nature of the relationship:
                

     (c) The percentage of the official's or immediate family member's ownership interest in the recipient entity, if any:
                

     (d) The position, if any, held by the official or immediate family member in the recipient entity:
                 

If the recipient entity has a contract with any elected or appointed state official or an immediate family member of such an official or with the state or any political subdivision of the state:
(a) If the contract is with an elected or appointed state official, provide the name and address of the official and the office held by such person: 
               

(b) If the contract is with an immediate family member of an elected or appointed state official:
          Provide the name and address of such person:
              

          Provide the name, address, and office of the official to whom the person is related:
               

          What is the nature of the relationship? 

(c) If the contract is with the state or a political subdivision of the state, provide the name and address of the state entity or political subdivision of the state:
                

(d) The nature of the contract, including a description of the goods or services provided or to be provided pursuant to the contract:
               


Contact Information
name:  Nick Albares 
                                       address:  4152 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70119
                                       phone:  5043301245
                                       fax: 
                                       e-mail:  nalbares@voasela.org
                                       relationship to entity:  Vice President, Strategic Development & Public Policy