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Alumni Profile
Class of 2004 - Katie Volk, MA, Joint UEP/CD
Where are you currently working? How long have you been in this position?
I work at the National Center on Family Homelessness (Newton, MA). I’ve been with the National Center since September 2004.
What goes on at your agency/organization? What population does it serve?
The National Center on Family Homelessness is the only national organization solely devoted to helping homeless children and their families. By understanding the causes and consequences of family homelessness – and the related issues of poverty, trauma, substance abuse and mental illness – we bring new hope and opportunities to homeless families throughout the country.
We transform our applied research into innovative programs and effective services, and play a strong role nationwide in helping communities, states, and the federal government address family homelessness. Our mission is to discover what works, to educate and inspire, and to take action to end family homelessness in America.
What are your responsibilities? What do you do?
I am the Project Manager for the National Center’s PEACH Initiative. PEACH is a wellness program that gives children and their parents the unique opportunity to learn how to keep their bodies and minds healthy and strong. We are currently rolling out a PEACH training for child caregivers (teachers, child care providers, social workers, etc.) in the Gulf region. I manage that process, which includes creating training materials, conceptualizing the training agenda, collaborating with key partners, and working with my colleagues to do the training itself.
About the PEACH Initiative
Homeless children have quite a bit of stress in their lives, and that leads to serious physical and mental health problems. To respond to the need for a nutrition and wellness program adapted to the unique characteristics of family shelters, The National Center adapted the OrganWise Guys Younger Years program, an interactive curriculum created for use in schools, to develop the Physical and Emotional Awareness for Children who are Homeless Initiative (PEACH). Through PEACH, The National Center is training shelter providers and others to teach young homeless children and their parents about good nutrition, physical activity, and how to deal with the stress of being homeless.
How have you used your E-P knowledge or degree in your job?
Where do I begin? I draw on my knowledge of child development – particularly social and emotional development – nearly every day.
What theoretical perspectives guide your work?
Mothers are the primary mediators of children’s mental health, and since homeless mothers are under a lot of stress, we take a family systems perspective for many of our projects. Bronfenbrenner’s nested systems is also a helpful way to think of services and supports for homeless families. The National Center also has extensive knowledge of traumatic stress in children and mothers. Attachment relationships and resilience are also extremely important. A big challenge is learning how to describe child development concepts and theories in a clear, concise, simple way.
Where did you do your internship and how did it relate to your current job?
I interned at Tri-CAP, a local community agency that works with homeless families (among others). I worked with homeless families living in motels as a housing search specialist. Working there gave me the idea for my thesis (which was on education and homeless children), which in turn fueled my interest in the field.
What are the major challenges and/or joys of your job?
The challenges: limited funding to do the work we’d like to do; frustration at a system that makes families homeless in the first place.
The joys: I work with a very talented and warm staff – I learn so much from them! I also get immense satisfaction out of knowing that there is a frustrating problem that I’m playing at least a very small role in solving. It’s rewarding to work with partners who find the National Center’s work useful to their everyday practices
Is there any experience that you will always remember?
There were two five year old girls who stand out in my mind. They were both extremely bright, but you could tell they were so scared and confused by the turns their lives had taken. One spoke three languages, and was trying to teach herself Spanish. She could never calm down, though. My image of her is as a pogo stick – all legs and arms bouncing from one corner of the room to the other. The other little girl was much more mature than the other kids, and knew all the answers to all the questions I asked. Still, every so often, she’d get the saddest look on her face. I worry about how living in a shelter will affect their self-confidence and self-image.
Has this position made you think differently—or expanded your thinking—about children and families?
It’s made me appreciate even more how complicated we are. It has left me amazed at what we (as humans) can survive.
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