Homes Within Reach Conference: Culturally Responsive Services

Culturally Responsive Services

Many service providers have been taught the value of cultural competence in working with diverse populations. Indeed, cross-cultural clinical work is a frequent occurrence when serving communities of people with marginalized identities. This training presents the concept of cultural humility as supplemental to the work of cultural competence. Presenters will offer strategies to move beyond the idea that we can ever truly become competent in another person’s culture, and explore opportunities to affirm and support our clients. Through use of case studies, we will review concepts of intersectionality and micro-aggressions for a fuller understanding of the ways culture shows up in service provision, and offer tools for a humbler cultural practice.

Presenters:

Andrew Spiers, MSS, LSW (he/him) is the Director of Training and Technical Assistance for Pathways to Housing PA’s Housing First University. Andrew joined Pathways in early 2018 and served as an Assistant Team Leader and Team Leader before launching Housing First University in October 2019. Andrew holds a Master of Social Service from Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, where he concentrated in Community Practice, Policy, & Advocacy. He has taught Human Services and Sociology courses as an adjunct professor at Harcum College and conducted trainings and workshops all over the country on Housing First, harm reduction, and affirming care for LGBTQ+ communities.

Ryan Villagran, MSW, LSW (he/they) joined Housing First University in June 2021 as a Training Specialist. Ryan holds a Master of Social Work from Temple University with a concentration in Communities & Policy. His clinical background includes delivering psychiatric rehabilitation services in the mental health recovery model at a Community Integrated Recovery Center. Ryan also developed and coordinated a training program in a university setting for social workers serving transitional-aged youth and later taught a Human Behavior in the Social Environment course for graduate social work students. Ryan is involved in organizing efforts around ending mass incarceration and believes in the power of our collective imagination to dream of a better future centered around the most vulnerable members of our community.