In this episode, we sit down with Judy Blake, the community outreach liaison at Innerlight Community Advocates, to discuss finding resources to support children and their families. Throughout the episode, Judy shares her personal experiences as a parent and her professional experience supporting families through her roles in a variety of Texas-based organizations. She provides both general advice applicable to families everywhere, as well as specific resources for those in the Houston area.

Innerlight Community Advocates is a community-based behavioral health agency in Houston,Texas that provides wraparound and outpatient services. Judy also is a family faculty and board member of the LoneStar LEND Program where she works with medical residents, fellows, graduate students and professionals throughout an interdisciplinary training model. Judy is the co-coordinator of the Harris County Community Resource Collaboration Group, co-chair of the IDD Public Advisory Committee, and vice chair of the Mental Health Public Advisory Committee at The Harris Center for Mental Health. She previously worked at Family-to-Family Network, a Houston non-profit that provided programs that empower families of children and young adults with disabilities.

Judy’s most cherished role is being a mother of two adult sons. Her younger son was diagnosed at a time when autism spectrum disorder was unknown to many, so she quickly became his advocate, always ensuring that he was living a meaningful life.

Links:

Texas Project First

Navigate Life First

Insurance and Financial FAQ

Special Education Information

Medical Wavers

Family to Family Network

Innerlight Community Advocates

Lonestar LEND Program

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