National Fatherhood Initiative

Transcription

>>> THANK YOU FOR JOINING FOR OUR FATHER'S DAY 2012 INFORMATION MOMENT. THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HUD HAS INVITED PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITIES AND OTHER HUD SUBSIDIZED HOUSING PROVIDERS TO JOIN US IN CELEBRATING FATHER'S DAY 2012? JUNE OF THIS YEAR. THE SECOND ANNUAL FATHER'S DAY PROGRAM HOSTED BY OUR HOUSING AUTHORITIES WILL PROVIDE FATHERS AND CHILDREN AND THEIR OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS WITH A SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT TO STRENGTHEN THE BONDS BETWEEN FATHERS AND CHILDREN WHILE CONNECTING FATHERS TO SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES. WHAT BETTER WAY AND BETTER ORGANIZATION TO SPEAK ABOUT FATHER'S DAY 2012 RESOURCES FOR LOCAL HOUSING AUTHORITIES THAN MR. WARREN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL FATHERHOOD INITIATIVE. THANK YOU, MR. WARREN, FOR JOINING US. >> GLAD TO BE HERE. >> CAN YOU GIVE US A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF WHAT THE NATIONAL FATHERHOOD INITIATIVE IS? >> SURE, IT STARTED IN 1994, REALLY FOCUSED ON HELPING KIDS GET CONNECTED WITH THEIR DADS. AT THE TIME THAT WE STARTED, THERE WAS SO MUCH RESEARCH THAT WAS SHOWING KIDS WERE MORE LIKELY TO FAIL IN SCHOOL, MORE LIKELY TO END UP INCARCERATED, MORE LIKELY TO BE TEEN PARENTS WHEN THEY WEREN'T CONNECTED TO INVOLVED, RESPONSIBLE AND COMMITTED FATHERS. SO WE STARTED REALLY TO KIND OF RAISE AWARENESS AND PUT OUT A CALL TO THE NATION ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT FATHER INVOLVEMENT WAS TO THE WELL BEING OF KIDS. THAT'S WHAT WE DO AND HAVE BEEN HAPPY TO DO IT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. >> AND SO YOU ACTUALLY TRAIN LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS TO SUPPORT YOU IN GETTING THIS MESSAGE OUT AND INFORMATION. CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT? >> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. WE ARE THE LEADING PROVIDER OF FATHERHOOD RESOURCES IN THE COUNTRY. ONE OF THE THINGS WE DO IS WE REALLY HELP ORGANIZATIONS MOVE FROM INSPIRATION TO IMPLEMENTATION WHEN IT COMES TO REACHING DADS. SO MANY FATHERS, FRANKLY THEY MAY HAVE THE DESIRE TO BE GOOD DADS BUT WE REALLY DON'T DO MUCH TO TEACH FATHERS TO BE GOOD DADS. PART OF WHAT IT DOES IS PROVIDE RESOURCES, SKILL BUILDING RESOURCES, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING FOR ORGANIZATIONS EITHER FOR PROFIT OR NOT FOR PROFIT TO HELP THEM REACH DADS AND HELP DADS IMPROVE THEIR SKILLS. >> ON YOUR WEBSITE, YOU HAVE A NUMBER OF FATHER FACTS THAT TALKS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF FATHERS IN HOMES. CAN YOU SUMMARIZE THOSE FOR US? I KNOW YOU JUST MENTIONED SOME. >> ABSOLUTELY. ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE LOOKED AT, WHEN YOU LOOK AT PRETTY MUCH EVERY PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMICAL MEASUREMENT, THERE IS A CORRELATION BETWEEN FATHERS INVOLVED AND THE WELL BEING OF KIDS. AND EVEN WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH MOM, MOMS THAT HAVE DADS INVOLVED ARE MORE LIKELY TO SEEK PRENATAL CARE, LESS LIKELY TO HAVE LOW BIRTH WEIGHT BABIES AND LESS LIKELY TO BE POOR. FOR MOMS AND KIDS, WHEN DADS ARE MORE INVOLVED, THE RESULTS TEND TO BE BETTER ON AVERAGE. >> SO YOUR ORGANIZATION IS REALLY MAKING FAMILIES HEALTHIER, CHILDREN AND PARENTS, FOR THAT MATTER, BECAUSE THE MOTHERS ARE ALSO ACCESSES RESOURCE. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> HOW CAN OUR LOCAL HOUSING AUTHORITIES AND OUR OTHER HUD SUBSIDIZED PROVIDERS BENEFIT WHAT WHAT YOU'RE DOING? >> YOU KNOW, THERE ARE LOTS OF COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE SEEKING TO DO FATHERHOOD WORK N MANY CASE, CANDIDLY, THEY DON'T HAVE LOCATIONS WHERE THEY CAN PROVIDE TRAINING. ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE TRIED TO ENCOURAGE HOUSING AUTHORITIES TO DO IS REALLY TO OPEN UP THEIR SPACE TO INVITE COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS IN TO USE THAT SPACE. I MEAN, THERE ARE FATHERS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY SURROUNDING THESE HOMES AND THERE ARE FATHERS THAT LIVE IN THESE HOMES, AND SO WHAT WE TRY TO ENCOURAGE HUD TO DO AND ORGANIZATION THIS IS ARE CONNECTED TO THE HOUSING AUTHORITIES TO DO IS REALLY PROVIDE SITES WHERE DADS CAN BE TRAINED. ONE OF THE KEY CHALLENGES OBVIOUSLY IS TRYING TO REACH OUT TO DADS IN THE BROADER COMMUNITY, AND I THINK HUD LOCATIONS AND HOUSING AUTHORITIES IN GENERAL CAN BE VERY GOOD PLACES FOR DADS TO COME TOGETHER TO LEARN HOW TO BE GOOD DADS. >> I THINK THAT WOULD BE A UNIQUE USE OF THOSE RESOURCES. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> HOW DO HOUSING AUTHORITIES AND OUR PROVIDERS ACCESS YOUR LOCAL USERS THAT HAVE BEEN TRAINED? >> ONE OF THE KEYWAYS TO DO THAT ON OUR END IS TO COME TO OUR WEBSITE, FATHERHOOD DOT ORG. THERE YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT ALL THE RESOURCES AVAILABILITY, AND WE ALSO CAN PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT MAY BE USING THESE RESOURCES AND HAVE AN INTEREST IN TRAINING. AS I SAID, ONE OF THE KEY THINGS, MANY CASES, SOME OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO REACH OUT MORE BROADLY IN THE COMMUNITY AND FIND MORE LOCATIONS, AND TO ADD ONE OTHER THING, WE HAVE A RESEARCH WE DEVELOPED CALLS MOMS GATEWAY, WHICHS REALLY DESIGNED TO HELP MOMS REALLY UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF FATHER INVOLVEMENT AND FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE TO HELP HER HELP HIM WITH THEM, TALKING ABOUT HER KIDS, AND CERTAINLY LOTS OF MOMS ARE OBVIOUSLY CONNECTED INTO HUD LOCATIONS AND CERTAINLY FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, IT'S A GREAT WAY TO REACH OUT TO THOSE MOMS AND TO BRING COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS IN TO REACH THEM AS WELL. >> SO GO TO YOUR WEBSITE AT NATIONAL FATHERHOOD INITIATIVE DOT. >> IT'S ACTUALLY FATHERHOOD DOT ORG. >> WWW DOT FATHERHOOD DOT ORG, REAL EASY TO FIND US. >> WE'LL PUT THAT ON OUR WEBSITE, AS WELL. AND THEY'LL FIND THE LOCAL USERS, A LIST OF THOSE LOCAL USERS AND THEIR PHONE NUMBERS AND CONTACT INFORMATION? >> WELL, WHAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DO IS THEN CONNECT TO US, LOOK AT THE RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE, AND THEN THEY CAN CONTACT OUR OFFICE DIRECTLY IF THEY HAVE AN INTEREST IN STARTING TO CONNECT WITH ORGANIZATIONS THAT MAY BE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES THAT MAY BE INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH THEM AS WELL. >> SO WE'VE GOT A GOAL OF 1,000 HOUSING AUTHORITIES PARTICIPATING. DO YOU WANT THOSE CALLS TO COME DIRECTLY TO YOU? >> SURE. THEY CAN CALL US UP. >> ALL RIGHT. YOU HEARD IT. HE WELCOMES THE PHONE CALLS. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE HUD AND OUR PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITIES CAN DO TO STRENGTHEN FAMILIES? >> , I YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING. I THINK ONE OF THE KEY THINGS, THE HOUSING AUTHORITIES HAVE THE ABILITY TO USE THE BULLY PULPIT TO TALK ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT FATHER INVOLVEMENT IS AND REALLY CREATE WHAT I WOULD CALL A FATHER FRIENDLY SORT OF HOUSING AUTHORITY. A LOT OF TIMES WHAT WE FIND WHEN WE'RE WORKING IN THE COMMUNITIES IS AT TIMES, YOU KNOW, THE ORGANIZATIONS ARE NOT NECESSARILY FATHER FRIENDLY, NOT MAYBE AT WAR WITH FATHERS, BUT NOT REALLY SETTING UP A SCENARIO WHERE DADS FEEL LIKE THERE IS AN AGENCY OR ORGANIZATION WHERE THEY'RE WELCOME, AND CERTAINLY FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, WE DO A LOT OF WORK THERE. WE HAVE DEVELOPED FREE RESOURCES ONLINE, OUR SITE CALLED FATHER FRIENDLY CHECKUP. ONE OF THE THINGS A HOUSING AUTHORITY CAN DO IS GO THROUGH THIS CHECKUP AND IT HELPS YOU ASSESS HOW FATHER FRIENDLY YOU ARE IN TERMS OF PROGRAMMING, INTAKE, OUTREACH TO THE COMMUNITY, THINGS OF THAT NATURE, AND IT'S A FREE RESOURCE THAT YOU CAN GET AT OUR SITE, WHICH AGAIN IS FATHERHOOD DOT ORG. >> EXCELLENT. YOU HAVE MANY RESOURCES THAT YOU CAN ACCESS ON THE NATIONAL FATHERHOOD INITIATIVE WEBSITE, AND WE WELCOME HOUSING AUTHORITIES TO DO SO AS THEY PREPARE FOR FATHER'S DAY 2012. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THIS INFORMATION MOMENT.