PIH Youth Art Competition -- Results Coming Soon!
	Coming soon—winners to be announced! Artwork will be displayed in a virtual gallery online, with selected pieces displayed at HUD Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Since the inception of HUD’s Father’s Day in 2011 we have known that it’s the mothers that do much of the heavy lifting as it relates to raising families. In public housing communities where 75% of families are led by single women, that’s an enormous amount of responsibility, and one which should be given due consideration. HUD’s focus on Father’s Day was intended to bring awareness to the grim statistics children living in father-absent homes face. Fatherhood should not only be a topic with which we speak only with men. Fatherhood programs have more recently found that if they only work with men and never connect with their female partners, then there is less reason for the female partner to want to connect with the father. Our focus on both parents aims to connect men and women to resources that will aid in improving these outcomes and unify the family. Involved fathers empower mothers, and by empowering mothers, families succeed.

HUD Strong Families consists of the following three pillars:

1. Health: Nutrition, Fitness & Prevention; Mental Health & Addiction; Social Determinants of Health (Environment, Violence, etc.)
2. Education: FAFSA & Post-Secondary Enrollment; STEAM & Digital Inclusion; Reading & Book Distribution
3. Economic Empowerment: Job Training; Financial Literacy; Supportive Services

Our Impact:

• Approximately 1,000 annual events hosted by Public Housing Agencies and Multi-family property owners
• Parents bond with their children while receiving impactful resources in a fun, festive atmosphere
• Collaborations with Book Rich Environments promote literacy
• STEM educational workshops impact hundreds of youth living in disadvantaged neighborhoods
• Community Health Workers and Home Visiting Nurses promote healthy homes and families

Strong Families Matter

Children reared in safe and nurturing families and neighborhoods, free from maltreatment and other adverse childhood experiences, are more likely to have better outcomes as adults.
Source: Maternal, Infant, and Child Health, Healthy People 2020