About the Initiative

We Heal Together is...

  • an early pilot initiative of the People’s Research Council (PRC) in partnership with Action4Equity, Crossnore, and Forsyth Futures, focused on a specific area in East Winston-Salem (see map below). Significant funding for the initiative is provided through a federal grant from SAMHSA (the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration).
  • dedicated to promoting resilience, equity, and trauma-informed approaches in communities that have recently experienced civil unrest, community violence, or collective trauma within the past 24 months. The We Heal Together mission is to assist high-risk youth and families through evidence-based violence prevention and community youth engagement programs.

Through this grant, we aim to build a strong foundation for well-being, resiliency, and community healing by actively engaging communities in East Winston-Salem.

SAMHSA Federal Grant

  • Awarded in 2023 by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
  • $4M over four years to grant partners Action4Equity, Crossnore, & Forsyth Futures.

Focus on East Winston

  • We Heal Together (WHT) will support Black and Brown communities along the east side of 52.
  • Demographics: 57% to 76% Black and Brown families across six census tracts, totaling 17,011 residents.

The initiative kicks off with a community assessment, which is followed by a strategic planning phase. The initiative emphasizes community engagement, transparency, and concrete action steps. The goal is to not only address immediate challenges but to also ensure the East Winston community thrives long-term.

Goals & Objectives

We are committed to creating equitable access to trauma-informed behavioral health resources, integrating behavioral health services with other community systems to address the social determinants of health, and ensuring that our program services are culturally competent and responsive. Our activities include trauma-informed behavioral health services, training in trauma-informed care, engagement of youth and family peers for support, coordination with housing and employment programs, mental health literacy training, cultural competency and implicit bias reduction training, and much more.

Read our goals and objectives for We Heal Together below:

1

Increase participation of East Winston residents and stakeholders in community-based research to identify the community’s needs and resources.

3

Reduce high-risk behaviors and increase protective factors for East Winston youth exposed to adversity and trauma through a comprehensive mentoring strategy.

5

Increase capacity of mental health and health practitioners in East Winston to incorporate trauma-informed care approaches into their youth and family services.

2

Enhance trauma-informed systems of care through training the Trauma Resilient Communities model to backbone agencies serving East Winston.

4

Train first responders and youth-involved workers on youth mental health risk factors to improve their outreach and interactions with youth.

6

Evaluate the impact of the initiative.