Herway Home Program For Pregnant And Parenting Women Using Substances: A Brief Social Return On Investment Analysis

Objectives: HerWay Home is a multi-service drop-in and outreach program for pregnant/parenting women with substance use issues and other complex factors such as poverty, mental illness, trauma and/or violence, precarious housing, and child welfare involvement. This article presents findings from a small-scale social return on investment (SROI) analysis included in the overall 2-year (2015-2017) evaluation of the program.Methods: The SROI looked at outcomes associated with: housing, healthy pregnancies, and child welfare involvement. These factors were chosen for their primacy in women's lives: safe and stable housing is a basic requirement for overall well-being; healthy birth outcomes are linked to prenatal care; and, women keeping and/or regaining custody of their children is a proxy for other changes to life circumstances such as having addressing circumstances that give rise to child safety risks. The SROI was based on 81 women for whom an intake was completed during the evaluation timeframe. The analysis was intentionally conservative in its number and choice of program impacts.Results and Conclusions: The SROI analysis for HerWay Home demonstrated that for every dollar invested in the program, HerWay Home created a social value of approximately $4.45. These findings suggest that HerWay Home is a worthwhile investment, with considerable value produced through reduced use of expensive hospital care, fewer infants and children being placed in foster care, and fewer children born substance-affected.