Denese Neu, Ph.D.
CEO of HHS Consulting
Senior Consultant, Vulnerable Populations
"Being affiliated with and funded by RWJF legitimizes me with current and potential clients and making connections has become increasingly easier. Part of that is the RWJF reputation; another part is the new confidence I have from being selected as a New Connections grantee."
Project Description
Neu's project will examine community development policy and strategies for mental health intervention among disadvantaged populations, translate these findings into additional questions for the RWJF Vulnerable Populations team, and to help close the disciplinary and industry divides between health and community development initiatives.
She will provide a white paper with summative findings and recommendations, a list of additional research questions for RWJF Vulnerable Populations team and an annotated bibliography of pertinent policy papers and studies that will address the following research questions: Has the community development industry failed to fully invest in distressed areas/disadvantaged populations by disregarding mental health needs from their community building mission because policy and program barriers exist?
Using qualitative methods, this project will:
- conduct policy analysis to identify barriers to holistic community development,
- review the national community development training programs to determine if/how they address psychological health impediments to successful homeownership and community building,
- review community development corporation data to identify trends among those that have incorporated traditional/non-traditional mental health services, and
- examine and evaluate how selected programs have addressed or avoided these issues at the local level.
Biography
Denese M. Neu, Ph.D. is CEO/principal consultant and researcher of HHS Planning & Consulting, Inc. She founded the firm in 2003 after completing her doctorate in Urban Studies at the University of New Orleans. While pursuing her degrees, she worked in progressively more responsible positions in health and human services.
Her experience as a social worker and administrator working with a variety of government programs for vulnerable populations helped her to recognize many gaps between urban policy and service delivery design. This fueled her desire to start a business to bring interdisciplinary expertise to urban planning, public policy, and health care initiatives.
Her clientele range from grassroots community-based organizations to municipal governments. In recent years, her work has focused on the heritage and human needs components for successful community development efforts.
Now based in Chicago, Neu maintains part-time residency in New Orleans. She is an adjunct professor in public policy and psychology at National Louis University and a visiting lecturer in sociology at North Central College.
