PCHA to Host Second Annual Fathers Focused on Family Event for Public Housing Families

This year’s activities and events will include service providers and partner organizations in the health and wellness, education and training, family services areas, as well as entrepreneurship, employment and employers.  Other donors will provide haircuts, music, clothing, prepackaged food baskets and health screenings. Seventeen service providers and vendors have volunteered to attend these events to help PCHA make it a success for those we serve.   Each event will also provide free food, games, and lots of prizes!  “It’s certain to be an extraordinary, fun time for our fathers and their families.” said Debra Johnson, PCHA’s executive director.  The events have a dual purpose: Providing fun activities to support the bonding of fathers and their children and connecting fathers to economic development resources.  

Recently HUD featured PCHA’s 2011 Father’s Day event as a “Success Story” in the “Father’s Day Brief” a series of weekly emails to keep housing authorities informed and to share ideas.  “With a limited budget we knew we would need to seek donations from our local businesses and sport teams.  Our fingers did a lot of walking through the yellow pages and we were very grateful for the donations, door prizes, hair cuts, DJ’s, food, etc. that we received” said Regina Booker, PCHA’s Director of Resident Services and Programs.  Local sports teams donated tickets to baseball games, team paraphernalia, professionally autographed footballs and baseballs, and much more.  

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said “Children who live absent their biological fathers are, on average, at least 2 to 3 times more likely to use drugs: to experience educational, health, emotional, and behavioral problems; to be victims of child abuse; and to engage in criminal behavior than their peers who live with their married, biological (or adoptive) parents.  What’s more, a child with a nonresident father is 54 percent more likely to be poorer than his or her father”.  Please click here to view Secretary Donovan’s letter in its entirety.

PCHA encourages responsible fatherhood.  “There has never been a time of greater need to bring families, particularly fathers and their children, together” said Debra Johnson.