The Center for Working Families Program (CWF) believes that children benefit from the financial and emotional support of both parents. Legal barriers (criminal backgrounds, revoked driver’s licenses, etc.), a lack of high school diploma/GED, child support debts, and other issues can prevent low-income fathers from being involved in their children’s lives. These obstacles also prevent them from moving on a pathway to family economic success. Men facing these and other challenges are also not likely to be involved in their community and rarely take advantage of available service programs. The Fatherhood Initiative (FI), based at CWF, is providing intensive coaching and wrap-around services to fathers who live in NPU-V to help them reconnect with their families, move towards economic success and become active members in their community.

FI connects the fathers with legal services, classes in computers, construction, GED and job readiness, mental health services, and other supports. It also offers valuable coaching and peer support as the fathers work together to address their barriers to success and become engaged participants in their community. Several fathers value the peer support of their regular meetings so much that they bring their children with them. FI helps its participants resolve outstanding warrants, reclaim revoked driver’s licenses, become employed, start their own businesses, consolidate their child support cases and become more involved in their children’s lives.

In addition to reconnecting with their families, the fathers in the Initiative are also reconnecting with their community, becoming a powerful and growing presence. FI fathers participate in neighborhood parades, organize back to school events, conduct outreach in the community and serve as ambassadors for the Initiative. These fathers exemplify the importance of men playing a responsible role in the lives of their children, family, and community.