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Foundational Community Supports (FCS) is an initiative of Medicaid Transformation. It allows qualified providers to receive Medicaid reimbursement for delivering supportive housing and supported employment services for people with the greatest and most immediate social and health needs.
The drawing for the Apple Health and Homes (AHAH) Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) vouchers took place on March 12, 2025! We appreciate the efforts of providers supporting FCS-SH enrollees who submitted assessments for this opportunity. If your enrollee wasn’t selected this time, there’s still a chance—assessments remain eligible for future drawings.
In addition to TBRA, AHAH offers other rental assistance options, including Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) and capital unit opportunities. We encourage providers and enrollees to explore these pathways as well.
Stay tuned for updates on upcoming drawings and additional housing opportunities. Thank you for your ongoing support in connecting enrollees with stable housing!
The Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team is sending this bulletin on behalf of the Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF).
The Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) has launched its updated mandatory reporter training with an emphasis on supporting families. Mandatory reporters are professionals and volunteers who work with children, youth, and families and are legally required to report child abuse and/or neglect.
Updated training topics
- Distinctions between poverty and neglect, and available resources that mandatory reporters can use to help families.
- Videos highlighting the impact of child abuse and neglect reports.
- Knowledge checks that allow mandatory reporters to practice complex, real-life scenarios in a no-risk environment.
For the past two years, DCYF staff from across the agency have collaborated with:
- Medical professionals
- Public education
- Court and law enforcement professionals
- Tribal partners
- Parent representatives
- Lived experts
- The Alliance for Professional Development, Training, and Caregiver Excellence
Other collaborators have helped to shape this eLearning and inform changes made to the DCYF website and publications that focus on recognizing and reporting child abuse and neglect.
DCYF hopes this training supports mandatory reporters to connect children and families with valuable community resources and preventing intake calls for issues that could be better addressed by ongoing community supports. Contact DCYF with any questions regarding this training.
Webinar: Tuesday, April 8, 2025, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team invites you to join our training team for our April Supportive Housing Learning Community Call.
Join the FCS team and the provider network to discuss how the results of fidelity reviews should be displayed and available for public access.
Key discussion points
- What is a “preferred provider network”
- Locating where review results should be available to view
- What specific information is given to prospective participants and other stakeholders
- How we may encourage participation in the review process
For questions, please email our supportive housing trainer: Anessa Williams
Microsoft Teams:
Meeting ID: 263 216 227 60
Passcode: V9aL6Nn7
Presented by the Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports team in partnership with Rutgers School of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professionals
Webinar: Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at noon
Engaging with service recipients creates a foundation of trust and rapport, supporting the development of a strong therapeutic relationship, encouraging service recipients to be more open and willing to participate in services.
This webinar aims to provide supportive housing staff with practical strategies to enhance consumer engagement. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the importance of service engagement within the supportive housing context, while also examining the common barriers that often impede individuals from fully participating in services.
Participants will leave equipped with knowledge to more effectively support individuals in supportive housing and create more inclusive and effective service engagement.
Objectives
- Review service engagement in the context of supportive housing
- Explore barriers to service engagement
- Identify strategies to increase engagement in services
Presented by the Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports team in partnership with Rutgers School of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professionals
Webinar: Thursday, April 10, 2025, at 9 a.m.
This month, we will be learning about the use of social media when finding a new job. Online job seeking has been increasing over the last several years and both job seekers and employers have come to rely on various social media for employment acquisition purposes.
For this month’s call, we are going to discuss the importance of having a social media presence as part of a job search plan. We will also review tools and resources for using social media effectively as well as discuss some common pitfalls when using social media in a job search. As always and time permitting, we will review your job development successes and challenges over the last month.
Objectives
- Recognize the importance of incorporating social media into the job search plan
- Apply social media strategies to find employment
- Identify common pitfalls that may impact social media job searches
- Discuss job development challenges and successes over the past month
Presented by the Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports team in partnership with Rutgers School of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professionals
Webinar: Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at 3 p.m.
This new webinar will provide a high-level overview of the current status of healthcare delivery systems in relation to the tribal governments and their citizens. This webinar will cover a basic understanding of the unique political relationship that exists between the federal government and tribal nationals.
Objectives
- Identify systemic barriers that exist in the current healthcare delivery system for tribal nations and citizens
- Learn mitigation techniques and best practices to address these barriers
- Discuss communication protocols when working with sovereign nations
- Engage in an overview of Tribal/State behavioral health and crisis initiatives
Webinar: Wednesday, April 16, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) and the Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team are starting a new training series!
The FCS team would like to invite anyone interested to our standing monthly provider orientation. This orientation will be offered every third Wednesday of the month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This orientation will cover introductory information about Foundational Community Supports Supported Employment, Supportive Housing, Apple Health and Homes Rental Assistance Program (AHAH-RAP), and the Transition Assistance Program (TAP).
It is an open and supportive space to get a basic orientation to all things FCS, and it is a great place for new and prospective providers and FCS staff to ask questions and meet the FCS team as well as our WellPoint partner team members.
We would enthusiastically encourage you to attend if:
- You are an organization interested in providing FCS and need more information about the program and associated programming
- You are a new FCS provider (welcome!)
- You have recently hired new Supportive Housing or Supported Employment specialists, or have staff that would like a refresher on FCS and fidelity to best practices
- You would like an opportunity to connect with HCA’s FCS Team and Wellpoint to ask questions about service provision, program implementation, etc.
Teams meeting link
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 272 319 396 721
Passcode: VE96aR9u
Presented by The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) in partnership with Rutgers Department Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions
Webinar: Thursday, April 17, 2025, from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Webinar: Thursday, May 15, 2025, from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
April and May topical will be focusing on utilizing strengths-based focus to promote career outcomes and promote success. In this two-part webinar, we will define and describe the benefits of appreciative inquiry and its use in career services.
Objectives
- Define appreciative inquiry
- Identify the benefits of using an appreciative inquiry approach in career services
- Describe how to best support job seekers in identifying a career that is based on their strengths, interests, and skills
- Review appreciative inquiry and its use in career services
- Develop strategies to utilize a strengths-based focus, communication, and skill development within FCS services.
- Apply appreciative inquiry skills in the provision of career services
Webinar: Thursday, April 17, 2025, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
This training by HCA FCS is ideal for employment specialists, case managers, and mental health professionals who want to better understand the connection between mental health and workplace behavior, and how to effectively support individuals in reaching their employment goals.
Individuals with mental health issues often face unique challenges in workplace settings, such as difficulties managing emotional regulation, overcoming social anxiety, or navigating workplace relationships. Understanding these challenges and learning effective behavioral management strategies are critical for professionals working to support individuals in achieving long-term employment success.
The session will begin with an overview of common mental health conditions—such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia—and the ways they can influence behavior in a work environment. Participants will explore how behaviors like avoidance, impulsivity, or difficulties with focus and interpersonal communication may arise and will gain practical strategies for addressing these challenges.
This webinar will also cover evidence-based techniques for:
- De-escalation
- Trauma-informed communication
- Individualized support planning
- Providing attendees with actionable tools to enhance engagement
- Job performance
- Retention for those they serve
The Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team in partnership with Rutgers School for Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions is launching the 2025 Golden Thread in Documentation training series. This is a six-part series that will occur April through May
Webinars: Thursdays: April 17, April 24, May 1, May 8, May 15, and May 22, 2025, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
The Golden Thread in Documentation training provides a comprehensive overview, with practical applications, of (FCS) documentation. Each webinar covers a specific type of documentation and addresses Medicaid requirements and the importance of the connection between assessments, service plans, and progress notes, known as the Golden Thread.
Additionally, the series will be presented along with the newly developed Golden Thread Toolkit, a valuable new resource for FCS staff. The webinars and toolkit are designed for FCS staff who are responsible for service provision and documentation. It is recommended that participants attend all sessions in the series, as the information presented is cumulative.
Objectives
- Use Medicaid-compliant documentation of Foundational Community Support services specifically the assessments, service plan, and progress notes.
- Employ rehabilitation principles such as valued life roles and strengths-based services in Foundational Community Supports.
- Apply rehabilitation techniques to enhance goal planning and skills teaching.
Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team in partnership with Advocates for Human Potential will host this April webinar for supported employment providers.
Webinar: Tuesday, April 29, 2025, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Effective workforce recruitment requires a strategic approach to attract, retain, and develop top talent. Organizations must adapt to changing workforce expectations, integrate inclusive hiring practices, and focus on employee development to ensure long-term sustainability. A strong employer brand, competitive benefits, and an inclusive work environment are critical for success. By investing in employee development and fostering a culture of belonging, organizations can create a workforce that is both sustainable and high performing.
Objectives
- Understand key strategies for attracting top talent through employer branding, competitive compensation, and career growth opportunities.
- Explore ways to build a sustainable workforce by investing in employee development, work-life balance, and leadership programs.
- Learn inclusive hiring and retention best practices to create a diverse and engaged workforce.
- Develop a plan for long-term workforce success that adapts to evolving workforce trends and needs.
Webinar: Wednesday, May 28, 2025, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The webinar will introduce trauma-informed care, its core principles, and its benefits for individuals with mental illness. We will discuss the critical links between trauma, mental health challenges, and barriers to employment. Additionally, we will outline practical strategies for embedding trauma-informed principles into supported employment services, fostering environments that promote healing, empowerment, and sustainable employment for participants.
This session is designed for employment specialists, mental health professionals, case managers, and stakeholders in Washington State’s Medicaid-funded FCS programs. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how trauma-informed practices can enhance vocational outcomes and improve overall mental health recovery.
Objectives
- Understand the basics of trauma-informed care: Define trauma-informed care and its relevance to individuals with mental health disorders in Washington State, with a focus on its integration into supported employment programs like FCS
- Identify the connection between trauma, mental health, and employment challenges: Examine how trauma affects individuals’ mental health, impedes vocational functioning, and create barriers to employment, with real-world examples from the FCS program
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