Dean Neil Guterman receives social service award on behalf of SSA

Neil Guterman, Dean of the School of Social Service Administration, received the Leadership in Academics recognition on behalf of SSA during the Champions for Recovery Awards program held recently by A Safe Haven Foundation.

The award recognized Guterman's leadership and that of SSA in helping the Chicago area’s populations experiencing homelessness, poverty and crisis.

“I am honored to accept the Champions for Recovery award on behalf of the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago,” Guterman said.  “SSA and A Safe Haven Foundation are joint partners with a common aim, and we are especially honored to be recognized for the research, education and expertise we provide here in Chicago and across the nation, so that effective services can help lift the lives of those struggling with addiction and homelessness.”

The foundation’s president Neli Vazquez-Rowland expressed her appreciation for the work of SSA. “We are grateful for the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration’s quality work, research and support for Chicago’s underprivileged families and communities. Together, I hope to collaborate on further initiatives to solve the issues of poverty and homelessness plaguing the Chicagoland communities.”

Guterman, the Mose & Sylvia Firestone Professor in SSA, is a leading national expert on child abuse and neglect and on children’s exposure to violence more broadly.  He is the author of Stopping Child Maltreatment Before it Starts: Emerging Horizons in Early Home Visitation Services (2001) and co-editor of the forthcoming reference volume, Child Maltreatment Prevention.

Guterman was among other national leaders being recognized for taking action and advocating for individuals and families seeking to recover from homelessness and its associated issues of addiction and other crises.

A Safe Haven Foundation, based in Chicago, was founded in 1994 and provides integrated supportive housing, case management, addiction treatment, education, and life skills, with a network of affordable housing, industry training and job placement for the homeless.  It has 16 sites throughout Cook County.