Deborah Dennis, MA
SOAR Team Project Director
Vice President for Technical Assistance
Policy Research Associates, Inc. in Delmar, NY
As Vice President for Technical Assistance, Ms. Dennis has conducted research and provided technical assistance on federal, state, and local homelessness policy and practice for many years. She is the project manager on PRA projects related to homelessness and housing and has written extensively on the housing, and support service needs of persons who are homeless, particularly those who have behavioral health disorders. Over the last three years, she has developed a variety of training and technical materials for SAMHSA and others related to enhancing access to SSI and SSDI for people who are homeless, including the Stepping Stones to Recovery Participant and Trainer Guides.
Margaret Lassiter, MA
SOAR Project Coordinator
Senior Project Associate
Policy Research Associates, Inc. in Delmar, NY
During her tenure at PRA, Ms. Lassiter has worked as project coordinator for multiple projects related to housing and homelessness including SOAR, the PATH Technical Assistance Program, the Policy Academies on Chronic and Family Homelessness and the CMHS Supported Housing Initiative. She is also the Human Subjects Coordinator for PRA and has presented on research ethics and measurement issues at the American Evaluation Association.
Jackie Massaro, LMSW
Director of Training
Policy Research Associates, Inc. in Delmar, NY
As Director of Training, Ms. Massaro oversees development and delivery of training curricula and products. Ms. Massaro has worked in professional development for over 30 years. She is a master trainer, curriculum design specialist and training administrator. She has authored numerous educational products for human service providers, criminal justice professionals and consumers of mental health services. She is co-author of the Stepping Stones to Recovery Trainer Guide. Ms. Massaro is also a clinical social worker and family therapist, specializing in problems of co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders, licensed in the State of New York.
Yvonne Perret, MSW
Executive Director of the Advocacy and Training Center in Cumberland, MD
Senior Consultant at Policy Research Associates in Delmar, NY
Ms. Perret’s areas of expertise include public benefits, mental health services, and co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse. She is a psychiatric social worker and the former Program Director of the SSI Outreach Project in the Community Psychiatry Division of the University of Maryland Medical System. This innovative program assists adults who are homeless with serious and persistent mental illness to access SSI, other benefits, and services. This program was named a “Best Practice Program” by the National Alliance to End Homelessness (2001), and a “Best Practice” by SAMHSA (2005). Ms. Perret is the recipient of several awards for advocacy and social work. She has authored numerous articles; she is the co-author of Children with Disabilities: A Medical Primer, currently in its 4th edition, and the primary author and developer with staff from PRA of SAMHSA’s Stepping Stones to Recovery training curriculum.