Promising Practices
The Promising Practices database informs professionals and community members about documented approaches to improving community health and quality of life.
The ultimate goal is to support the systematic adoption, implementation, and evaluation of successful programs, practices, and policy changes. The database provides carefully reviewed, documented, and ranked practices that range from good ideas to evidence-based practices.
Learn more about the ranking methodology.
Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Crime & Crime Prevention, Children, Urban
Goal: BUILD's mission is to engage at-risk youth in the schools and on the streets, so they can realize their educational and career potential and contribute to the stability, safely and well being of your communities.
Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Crime & Crime Prevention, Children, Adults, Urban
Goal: The goal of CeaseFire is to interrupt the cycle of violence by changing norms and promoting positive behavior change.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Student Performance K-12, Children, Urban
Goal: The goals of this program are to provide a stable learning environment that will promote scholastic development, to enhance parent-child relationships, and to prevent delinquency.
Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Social Environment, Children
Goal: The program's five main goals are to (1) foster a safe, supportive group environment; (2) facilitate the identification and expression of divorce-related feelings; (3) promote understanding of divorce-related concepts and clarify misconceptions; (4) teach effective coping and interpersonal skills; and (5) enhance positive perceptions of self and family.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Teens
Goal: The goal of CMCA is to change policies and practices of major community institutions to reduce underage access to alcohol.
Impact: CMCA intervention significantly and favorably affected drinking behavior of 18- to 20-year olds and also significantly and favorably affected the practices of establishments serving alcohol. Alcohol merchants increased age-identification checking and reduced their sales to minors. Older teenagers (18 to 20 years old) reduced their provision of alcohol to other teens and were less likely to try to buy alcohol or drink in a bar. Arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol declined significantly among 18- to 20-year-olds.
Comparative Cost Analysis of Housing and Case Management Program for Chronically Ill Homeless Adults Compared to Usual Care (Chicago, Illinois)
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Housing & Homes, Adults, Urban
Goal: To assess the costs of a housing and case management program in a novel sample: homeless adults with chronic medical illnesses.
Impact: Compared to usual care, the intervention group generated an average annual cost savings of (−)$6,307 per person (95 percent CI: −16,616, 4,002; p = .23). Subgroup analyses of chronically homeless and those with HIV showed higher per person, annual cost savings of (−)$9,809 and (−)$6,622.
Effect of a housing and case management program on emergency department visits and hospitalizations among chronically ill homeless adults: a randomized trial (Chicago, Illinois)
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Housing & Homes, Adults, Women, Men, Older Adults, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Goal: To assess the effectiveness of a case management and housing program in reducing the use of urgent medical services among homeless adults with chronic medical illnesses.
Impact: For every 100 homeless adults offered the intervention, the expected benefits over the next year would be 49 fewer hospitalizations, 270 fewer hospital days, and 116 fewer ED visits.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Student Performance K-12, Children, Teens, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Goal: Elev8 brings together schools, families and the community in low-income areas to ensure that students succeed in school and in life.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Heart Disease & Stroke, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
Goal: The goal of this program is to use education and exercise improve outcomes for urban African American stroke survivors.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Cancer
Goal: The mission of Gilda's Club is to provide places where men, women, and children with cancer and their families and friends join with others to build social and emotional support as a supplement to medical care.