The First Tennessee Development District was one of seven funded Tennessee Opportunity Pilot Initiative Grants funded by the Tennessee Department of Human Services.
STRONG Families Northeast Tennessee
The FTDD will serve as the fiscal agent for the administration of grant funds and reporting and monitoring to the State.
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The STRONG Accountable Care Community with backbone support from Ballad Health, will lead and manage the STRONG Families NETN program, with the STRONG Families Program Director responsible for overall program execution and performance and the STRONG Families Advisory Committee responsible for assessing, advising, monitoring, and evaluating the implementation of STRONG Families NETN.
Family Partner Network
The Family Partner Network includes the following organizations that will support Family Partner services for enrolled families throughout the 10 NETN counties: Ballad Health, TN Voices, Upper East Tennessee Human Development Agency, Northeast State Community College, Appalachian Promise Alliance, Carter County Drug Prevention, A.C.T.I.O.N Coalition, M/H Central Services and YWCA of NETN & SWVA.
Mental Health Care
Mental Health Care providers include Frontier Health (serving Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Washington, and Unicoi counties) and Helen Ross McNabb Center (serving Cocke and Hamblen counties) to coordinate the provision of out-patient mental health counseling and substance abuse treatment/recovery services.
Financial Support
Utilizing the benefits of Facebook’s networking capabilities and by developing a private page designated for this program, families can connect to other families in the community, strengthen relationships and enable problem-solving to increase social capital and economic mobility. The International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, Tennessee will be assisting the program in their dedication to build better lives through the art of storytelling by meeting with families and helping share their stories. A partnership with US Bank will allow for the administration of milestone payments to support enrolled families that reach individual goals throughout the program.
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Training partners will plan and deliver specialized training to families in three areas. Financial counseling partners include Appalachian Opportunity Fund and Upper East Tennessee Human Development Agency. Parenting education partners include Appalachian Promise Alliance, TN Voices, and Strong BRAIN Institute. Job coaching/training partners include American Job Centers.
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For questions about STRONG Families NETN, please click here for TOPI Staff contact information.
The Tennessee Opportunity Pilot Initiative (TOPI) is brought forth by the Tennessee Department of Human Services and TANF Opportunity Act. This initiative will help individuals, families, and the state of Tennessee by creating a new vision for the Tennessee social safety net and is dedicated to helping low-income families grow beyond their vulnerabilities. TOPI empowers all Tennesseans by partnering with local organizations to reach deep into their communities and work shoulder to shoulder with individuals and families, growing their capacity to take on life’s challenges and reduce their dependence on the social safety net.
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This project is funded under an agreement with Tennessee Department of Human Services through the Tennessee Opportunity Pilot Initiative Grant, provided through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program. FTDD and all Sub-recipients are equal opportunity employers/programs. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities and/or limited English proficiency. TTY - (423) 547-7511 or (423) 610-0134.
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