When people receive mental health and substance use services at Community Alliance, they’re not just participants in programs — they can provide active feedback through our consumer council. During these monthly meetings, individuals have a direct opportunity to help shape the services, policies and culture of our organization.
The monthly council brings together individuals who have participated in Community Alliance services and a staff liaison to discuss concerns, share ideas and advocate for improvements. While councils like this are considered a best practice in accredited behavioral health organizations across the country, Community Alliance built its council in Omaha around a principle that guides many recovery-oriented systems of care: nothing for us without us.
For Kendra Jones-DeVol, Community Alliance’s Quality Improvement & Training Specialist and staff liaison for the consumer council, that philosophy is central to the council’s purpose.
“Having active feedback from people experiencing our services is imperative to continuous quality improvement in an organization,” Kendra said.
Kendra began leading the council in late 2024. Her role is to help facilitate conversations between participants and agency leadership. She documents feedback gathered through the council and shares it with leadership teams, creating a formal pathway for their voices to influence change.
“It enables people to not just participate in self-advocacy, but group advocacy,” she said. “And it holds the agency accountable. It ensures there’s an avenue for change.”
From participant to advocate
Kitty, who came to Community Alliance for services in 2011, knows firsthand how important self-advocacy can be.
When she realized it was time to seek professional help, she got connected to a therapist who recommended Community Alliance’s services. Since then, she has received support through day rehabilitation, employment services and homeless services. Diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, she credits Community Alliance with helping her recognize her own potential.
Today, she gives back as a kitchen volunteer and serves as a member of the consumer council. When Kendra is unavailable, Kitty often helps facilitate discussions and gather feedback from fellow participants.
“I’ve been a member of the council since 2024,” Kitty said. “My Community Alliance peers encouraged me to get involved.”
When asked why the consumer council matters, her answer was immediate.
“It gets people’s voices heard,” she said. “That’s the big thing — to feel heard and to see the changes we ask for.”
Turning feedback into action
The council’s requested changes can take many forms. One recent example came from feedback within Community Alliance’s day rehabilitation program. Participants shared that program newcomers could sometimes feel overwhelmed navigating the environment.
In response, Community Alliance reinstated peer navigators in the program — experienced participants who help orient new individuals and connect them with resources and support.
Other feedback has led to discussions about staff availability, safety practices, debriefing after difficult incidents, grief processing groups following losses within the program and additional social activities. This year, Kitty helped organize a Galentine’s event for program participants.
The council also serves as a place where participants can learn more about how Community Alliance operates. They can ask questions and gain insight into why certain processes exist.
“The consumer council provides an opportunity to discuss how Community Alliance’s services work, why they work that way and plans for how they will grow,” Kendra said.
A culture of transparency
Community Alliance’s recent CARF accreditation survey highlighted that spirit of transparency.
Surveyors recognized Community Alliance for actively seeking feedback from program participants, fostering an environment where participants feel comfortable sharing honest perspectives.
“The organization is applauded for actively seeking feedback, and the input obtained reflects authentic, candid experiences,” surveyors noted. “This feedback demonstrates that individuals feel safe sharing their perspectives and the organization values transparency.”
During the latest consumer council meeting, members reflected on what that commitment has meant in their own lives. One council member shared how quickly his daughter was able to access therapy services at Community Alliance.
“My daughter is seeing a therapist, and she was able to get into services quickly here,” he said. “It’s in motion, it’s working. Movement is happening. You hear our voices. That’s why I’m glad I’m part of this. You’re helping me help my family.”
Another council member spoke about receiving support through Community Alliance’s housing services.
“They found me an apartment pretty quickly,” she said. “Without the help of my peer to tell me it’s okay to move forward and go out there and get what I need, I don’t know where I’d be. I’m very grateful to programs like this for helping me get my foot in the door.”
For Kendra, those stories reflect the broader meaning behind the work.
“Our end goal is to get people access to the things they need,” she said.
Creating opportunities for empowerment
Kendra’s own experiences shape how she approaches the council today.
Before joining Community Alliance in 2017 as a peer support specialist, she navigated significant mental health challenges herself. She has since served in multiple roles throughout our organization and now helps lead quality improvement efforts, staff development and feedback initiatives.
“I was institutionalized for most of my 20s, and that perpetuated a lot of powerlessness,” she said. “When you’re in a system like that, you get to a point where it doesn’t feel like you have a say. Ensuring there’s an avenue for people to experience agency again — not just in their own recovery, but in the system in which they participate — is important to me.”
Council members say that empowerment is exactly what they have found.
“You have given us the opportunity to learn the avenues to overcome rough spots,” one member told Kendra during the meeting. “The consumer council has been a way to help me navigate through those challenges. You have empowered us and given us the opportunity to learn.”
As the council continues to grow, Community Alliance aims to establish additional program-specific councils. These councils will feed into the agency-wide group, creating even more opportunities for participants to share their perspectives.
