HUD Strong Families: Parenthood Edition
Dear HUD Strong Families Champion,
We welcome you to the inaugural Parenthood Edition of HUD Strong Families! This year, we are proud to expand our focus to mothers, recognizing that the involvement of all parents is essential for the growth, development, and well-being of healthy children and families.
Since 2011, HUD has proudly supported Public Housing Agencies’ Father’s Day
initiatives, with a staggering 1,500 participating communities underscoring the need to increase awareness about the importance of fathers in the lives of their children.
We learned something along the way.
We received your annual surveys, emails, photos, press clippings and personal insights on the important and unheralded work of single mothers who support their families despite persistent wage disparities and often-lacking child support.
Programs like ours have found that parents are more likely to have a positive role in their children's lives when there are opportunities for meaningful connection, not just with their children, but between the parents themselves.
We knew we were on to something.
Given these considerations and determined to better support mothers and families, HUD conducted a Family Focus Group last year to better support the needs of HUD-assisted families. The responses
we received convinced us we were on the right track, and HUD's Father's Day Initiative was reborn as HUD
Strong Families!
The HUD Strong Families Initiative will continue to support fathers with resources that uplift and increase
awareness of the importance of fatherhood, while also recognizing
critical role of mothers.
We hope this special Parenthood Edition will offer you resources and ideas to empower mothers, fathers, children, and families in your community during this May and June and throughout the year. Thank you for all that you do and for being an integral part of this year's HUD Strong Families Initiative!
—The HUD Strong Families Team
Mother’s Day: May 13
Many of the event planning resources and ideas on HUD Strong Families can be used for moms, too! Also, check out:
National Women's Health Week (May 13–19)
- A national effort by an alliance of government organizations to raise awareness about manageable steps women can take to improve their health. The focus is on the importance of incorporating simple preventive and positive health behaviors into everyday life.
Health Matters for Women Newsletter (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention)
- A monthly e-newsletter that provides information on what is happening in women’s health around CDC and other agencies.
Father’s Day: June 17
 Visit our HUD Strong Families website for a wide range of event ideas, including:
Men’s Health Week (June 11–17)
- Raise awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.
A Guide for Father Involvement in Systems of Care (American Institutes for Research)
- Information about the positive influences of fathers on their children’s lives and potential negative consequences when they are not involved.
|
Fatherhood Initiative nominees at the Palatka Housing Authority in Florida
Each year we have enjoyed promoting your events by sharing them with other HUD colleagues and public housing agencies across the country. You can check out participants' flyers from past years on HUD Strong Families.
Now, help us tell your story by sending us a few paragraphs with:
- A person whose life has been changed by your work
- How you were able to build the relationships and partnerships
- Statistics indicating your collective impact
- Nice photos (along with signed copies of HUD's photo release)
Send your stories to strongfamilies@hud.gov and we'll take it from there!
|
