The Young Fathers Initiative, a program provided by Metropolitan Family Services to strengthen a fathers relationship with his children while offering financial education, job readiness skills and job placement, has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Justice Departments Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to continue this worthwhile mission. Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. has been instrumental in securing continued federal support for this program.
CHICAGO, IL (PRWEB) December 23, 2004 -- Six months ago, Ray and his fellow classmates in the Young Fathers Initiative had never heard of U.S. Savings Bonds. Though he earns less that $18,000 a year, this 21 year old dad now buys 2 bonds each month—one for his child and one for himself—through a payroll deduction plan at work. Rays goal is to own his own home by the time hes 35—and Metropolitan Family Services is there to help him succeed.
The Young Fathers Initiative, a program provided by Metropolitan Family Services to strengthen a fathers relationship with his children while offering financial education, job readiness skills and job placement, has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Justice Departments Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to continue this worthwhile mission. Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. has been instrumental in securing continued federal support for this program.
The Young Fathers Program is an initiative in which I truly believe and for which I continually see a need," Jackson said. An involved father contributes to the physical, emotional and financial well being of his children and family. Metropolitan Family Services has taken an innovative approach to engaging these young men, increasing their skills, strengthening their support and providing them with the tools they need to succeed as dads. I am proud to have secured $500,000 in federal funding over three years to support this program."
Metropolitan Family Services is a non-profit human services organization with centers throughout Chicago and the suburbs. The Young Fathers Initiative, operated by Metropolitans South Chicago Center along with the Southeast Chicago Development Commission, recognizes the important role a father plays in his family and community, and celebrates the positive influence these young fathers bring. The Southeast Chicago Development Commission, established in 1981 by business and community leaders as a resource, has been essential in the continued operation and development of this initiative.
Since the inception of the Young Fathers Initiative on July 1, 2002, 78 young dads have gone through this valuable program. And the results are remarkable. Evaluations show fathers who have completed the program continue to spend more time with and caring for their children, have increased self-esteem, are more active in obtaining and sustaining employment, and have increased financial support to their children.
At the heart of the initiative is an intensive 2-week training course which covers:
•Job-Related Curricula: Job readiness skills, interviewing techniques (including mock interviews) and effective communication in the workplace
•Fathering Workshops: Setting priorities, childrens needs, stages of child development, anger management and the importance of providing financial support
•Financial Management Skills: Setting goals, budgeting, money management, establishing credit and dealing with bad credit, and understanding banking
Once completed, graduates receive frequent follow-up visits and the continued support from Metropolitan Family Service staff to help assure continued adherence to the important principles set forth through this valuable program.
This program produces tangible results. Ninety-two percent of participants who were placed in jobs retained those jobs, many for more than a year. This is even more remarkable considering many of the programs fathers have never held steady, full-time jobs and more than 56% have criminal backgrounds that have hindered their entering the job market.
Teaching these fathers to put money aside to help support their kids is crucial. On graduation day, the program awards each father $10 to open a savings account at Pullman Bank. The result? Seventy-three percent of program graduates have opened bank accounts and are practicing life-long financial management skills.
In addition to the job readiness training, parenting and financial literacy programs, participants have access to all that Metropolitan Family Services has to offer, including child and youth development programs; counseling; legal aid; and mental health, child welfare, and older adult services. Other collaborating agencies also provide support to address all of a young fathers needs, such as healthcare, child care, transportation and public assistance.
The newly acquired $100,000 federal grant is earmarked to sustain operations in 2006. Past federal support totaling $400,000 funded the program during its first two years, July 2002 to July 2004.
A number of community partners provide key elements to the participants enrolled in the Young Fathers Initiative: The Southeast Chicago Development Commission provides job placement services; the evaluation component is coordinated by Dr. Waldo E. Johnson, Jr. of the University of Chicago; Pullman Bank offers no minimum balance checking accounts; and the Chicago Family Health Center offers health services on a sliding scale.
For almost 150 years, Metropolitan Family Services has been providing and mobilizing a wide range of programs and services to help strengthen families and communities in Chicago and the suburbs. Metropolitan Family Services offers programs and services to address the needs of the families and communities it serves and provides support in the areas of child and youth development, counseling and mental health, child welfare, family economic development, legal aid, and services for older adults and their families. Eighty-five cents of every dollar Metropolitan Family Services receives is spent on direct client services. Each year, nearly 75,000 families and individuals receive counseling and other supportive services that build on their strengths and capacities; hundreds of thousands more families benefit from Metropolitan's social policy and advocacy efforts. Visit the Metropolitan Family Services Website at http://www.metrofamily.org.
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