Kupona Early Intervention, Outpatient, and Intensive Outpatient Programs at Homeless Children's Network: Findings from July 2024 to June 2025

The purpose of this report is to share the findings of our process evaluation of Kupona Early Intervention, Outpatient, and Intensive Outpatient Programs (Kupona) at Homeless

Children’s Network (HCN). Kupona is a Swahili word encompassing healing, recovering, and getting well.

Through partnership with the San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH), HCN developed the Kupona programs to address the need for culturally-responsive, tailored services that holistically combat substance use among youth. Ultimately, the Kupona programs aim to reduce racial disparities in health in San Francisco, strengthen families

and communities, and save lives. This program is designed to work at the intersections of substance use, mental health, and spiritual well-being of youth, families, and communities.

This report details the results of a collaborative process evaluation, designed to document the intentional development and design of Kupona’s Early Intervention, Outpatient, and Intensive Outpatient sub-programs. This evaluation focuses on how Kupona was created, the values and experiences shaping its design, and the foundational activities and structures needed to support its success in line with HCN’s contracted deliverables for this developmental year of the program. In line with a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) rooted in racial equity, HCN’s staff, including the HCN Kupona leadership team, collaborated with the Indigo Cultural Center team on every step of this process evaluation: design, data collection, and interpretation.

Learn more about Homeless Children's Network at: hcnkids.org/impact

Download Report