Putting Fathers Out Front: Grace-Mar and the Empowering Fathers Program
What is a father? It’s many things beyond the biological definition. A father is a superhero to his son and perhaps a Prince Charming to his daughter. Fathers put their children’s needs before their own and are willing to sacrifice their comfort for that of the children. Fatherhood is a pathway for a boy to become a man and realize their most potential.
The Challenge
Sometimes life and circumstances get in the way, putting some fathers at a disadvantage, especially when they don’t have custody. Some statistics:
About 85% of youths in prison come from fatherless homes.
About 71% of high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.
About 90% of homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes.
Common barriers to fathers being more involved in their children’s lives and paying child support are unemployment or underemployment, involvement in the criminal justice system, and substance abuse and mental health issues. This is where Mecklenburg County’s Empowering Fathers Program tries to help. In partnership with Grace-Mar Services, Inc., the Empowering Fathers Program offers employment assistance, coaching, and training opportunities for noncustodial fathers facing employment barriers. Additional services include fatherhood/parenting skills, economic stability, mental health services, and much more.
The Story: Building Better Fathers
With funding from Mecklenburg County and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Grace-Mar is growing the Empowering Fathers Program to add resources for fathers who need mental health, substance abuse, and trauma services. Its plans include expanding the number of fathers served, working to provide a dedicated mental health clinician, and adding an advocate and job coach/recruiter.
The Empowering Fathers Program launched in 2020 to help fathers find immediate job opportunities. It also provides support with court visits, parenting strategies, communicating with kids, and more. Since its beginning, more than 1,000 fathers have been referred to the Empowering Fathers Program, according to Kenneth Smith, founder and president of Grace-Mar.
Grace-Mar’s goal with the ARPA funding is to increase the number of fathers receiving services to more than 100 and offer many more group counseling sessions.
The Impact: Mental Health and Housing Services
Smith says they’ve been able to accomplish two significant things so far:
Provide mental health services to people whether they have insurance. That includes access to a licensed clinician to help fathers address past trauma and create coping techniques to deal with life in general.
Provide safe, sanitary, and secure housing, especially for homeless and/or formerly incarcerated fathers. Tenants can stay rent free for up to four months, and as they begin to get back on their feet, enter a tiered payment process where they pay a portion of the rent.