HSRC
conducts the evaluation of the San Diego County Next Steps program; which is a
recovery-oriented peer and family support program. Next Steps provides outreach
and engagement to individuals experiencing mental health, substance misuse or
co-occurring challenges and their family members. The program is a partnership
of three community organizations, Mental Health
Systems Inc. (MHS), Union of Pan Asian Communities (UPAC), and NAMI San Diego
as the lead agency. The program evaluation conducted by HSRC includes a process
evaluation that documents the implementation of Next Steps through review of
the data describing those who participated and the services they received.
Additionally, the outcome evaluation emphasizes participants’ progression in
recovery and successful program completion. Overall the evaluation provides
outcome data in the areas the program seeks to address including physical
health, mental health, and substance use, basic needs, social health, and other
areas that affect quality of life.