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NewswireTODAY - /newswire/ -
San Francisco, CA, United States, 2013/02/19 - Compass Family Services and SNR Denton to host a panel discussion on family trauma, homelessness, and poverty, with Kevin Fagan of the San Francisco Chronicle as moderator.
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Compass Family Services is proud to announce its first in a series of panel discussions on the topic of "Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness and Poverty" on Wednesday, February 23, hosted by SNR Denton at their law offices in San Francisco’s financial district.
The discussion will focus on trauma, family homelessness, and poverty, and will be moderated by Kevin Fagan of the San Francisco Chronicle. The distinguished panelists include Laurie Barkin, RN, MS, Psychiatric Nurse and Author of The Comfort Garden: Tales from the Trauma Unit; Bevan Dufty, Director of HOPE, Office of Mayor Ed Lee; Alicia Lieberman, Director, Child Trauma Research Program, San Francisco General Hospital; Susan Reider, LMFT, Clinical Director, Compass Family Services; and Latonia Williams, a Compass client.
Audience members will hear about issues such as trauma informed care, early traumatic experience, and the roles that both culture and government play in treating trauma in homeless families.
Latonia Williams, a Compass client, is among the honored guests to speak on the panel. Recovering from a 20-year drug addiction, she knew she needed the extra support that Compass provides. “I had many skills before I came, but Compass just reinforced those skills. My son had problems in school as a result of my addiction, and advocating for him would have been nearly impossible for me to be able to do by myself,” she said.
Homelessness is one of San Francisco's largest socio-economic problems. Although many people and organizations are working to improve the quality of life for homeless and low-income San Francisco residents, much work remains to be done. "In my work as a psych liaison nurse on the trauma unit at SFGH, it shocked and saddened me that so many of our patients had histories of untreated childhood trauma,” said panelist Laurie Barkin. “Such a history makes it difficult to escape the cycle of trauma, poverty, and homelessness that we witnessed over and over again. I'm honored to serve on this panel and hope we can shed some light on this topic.”
The panel is the first in a series, intended to educate the public about the issues affecting homeless and low-income people.
Since 1914, Compass Family Services (compass-sf.org) has helped San Franciscans in need. Each year, Compass assists more than 3,000 homeless and at-risk parents and children to achieve stability and self-sufficiency. Compass is the gateway to services for any SF family facing a housing crisis. Its services include intake and referral to shelter, emergency shelter, transitional housing, and childcare in addition to a broad spectrum of counseling, parenting education, prevention, and support services. With its deep understanding of homelessness and personalized support, Compass helps clients regain a solid footing and move toward long-term stability. Cutting-edge and client-centered, Compass gives a leg up not just a handout.
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gsublette[.]compass-sf.org 
