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Reconnecting Families and Dads
Father's Day 2012For the second consecutive year, hundreds of public housing authorities across U.S. participated in HUD’s fatherhood initiative – Father’s Day 2012 on Saturday, June 16th – the day before the actual holiday. This year more than 300 local agencies answered HUD’s call to host free events – topping last year’s number. The events serve a dual purpose: Offering activities for fathers and their children and connecting these men to economic development resources. PHAs partner with federal agencies, nonprofits, and local businesses to provide the employment, health and education resources. Reconnecting Families and DadsHUD is facilitating ideas that will bring fathers and their children together more than just on Father’s Day, but to make that connection throughout the year. For example, dads can plan to volunteer at their children’s schools, including attending Parent’s Night when school opens, or help coordinate Mother’s Day events. View our Educational Resource Toolkit for resources and ideas on how you can make it a great school year! Why is HUD Focusing on Fatherhood?In line with HUD’s 2010-2015 Strategic Plan Goal 3: “using housing as a platform to improve the quality of life of our residents,” this focus on fatherhood in public housing flows from current statistics that show fathers are absent. The majority of public housing households with children are headed by single women who earn less than $9,000 annually. While fathers are often present in and around public housing developments, most of them are not officially on the household’s lease and are often disconnected from services that could lead to economic stability for themselves and their children. Father’s Day History
Adapted from the NYCHA Fatherhood Initiative, HUD’s Father’s Day Initiative was developed in response to the stark socio-economic data indicating how children and youth are being negatively affected by father absent homes. For the first celebration, 209 PHAs from 33 states held Father’s Day events. An estimated 22,000 fathers, children, mothers and many others participated in events that local public housing authorities held all over the nation. . In some cities, participants met athletes from the NFL and NBA, who joined in on the fun, while the Read it LOUD! Foundation distributed more than 1,600 free children’s books to housing authorities that participated. The below links will provide you with an overview of the Father’s Day 2011 Program (video link). Program Summary Report |
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