Policy & Practice | Winter 2024

partnering for impact

By Shari Blades

Combating Hunger for Children and Families: Community Voices Spur Rural Maryland County’s Resource Navigator Network

W e first met Renee as our customer. We knew that someone who has used our services would be driven to help our com munity, so we decided to bring her on board. We originally envisioned her role as a hands-on person at com munity outreach events by providing enrollment support, but by having Renee out interacting with the public as a Community Resource Navigator (CRN), we gained valuable information about our approach and how to serve our neighbors better. For example, we quickly learned that adults with their children attended many of our outreach events. As any parent knows, it’s not easy to sit down and fill out a detailed application with children in tow. Hearing the needs of parents and others in our com munity, we’ve shifted our model. Our CRN’s initial meeting serves only as a touchpoint and an opportunity to build rapport. Then, Renee schedules a follow-up appointment to walk them step-by-step through the enrollment process and help with any other needs they may have. By adapting to the needs our community has shown, we can validate their concerns and hear from them on a human level. Mobilizing the Community by Providing a Platform Caroline County Better Together launched in 2021, when nine leaders from the county’s family- and child serving agencies came together to brainstorm how we could work

together to break down silos and eliminate systemic barriers facing families in our county. Our first task was to lead community conversations across the county, inviting residents to identify their local assets and resources. It quickly became clear that many of our neighbors were unaware of existing resources, and those that were aware didn’t know how to access them. We began to brainstorm about ways to build connections between

those who needed the resources and the people providing them. From the lessons we learned by lis tening to our community members, we set out to bring in people with lived experiences as CRNs. They would be responsible for supporting and engaging individuals and families in navigating the complex systems needed to enroll in our Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other economic supports. Our CRNs’

Illustration by Chris Campbell

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Policy & Practice Winter 2024