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There is no doubt about the impact Brothers United has had in so many
fathers’ lives. Pathway Inc. Brothers United Fatherhood
Program completed a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) among
fathers who live in the 10 worst neighborhoods (by crime),
who are drug addicted, who have mental health issues and who
have dropped out of school. This focus enabled the staff to
touch a wide range of fathers who had previously experienced
a lot of trauma.
Because there were no data in Toledo about young fathers and, in
particular, about African-American fathers, Brothers United
felt the need to show and to prove that the work they can do
with young fathers could impact the lives of not only
themselves, but also their co-parents and their children as
well. The program adopted a curriculum to teach fathers
about healthy relationships/marriages, workplace survival
skills, and economic stability.
One of the key areas that the program has had impact has been around
attitudes to decrease domestic violence. Data gathered from
internal feedback by participants shows that the curriculum
changed father’s attitudes as well as their beliefs and
behaviors.
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“I learned that any
form of abuse would get you nowhere.”
●
“I learned ways to
prevent domestic violence.”
●
“I learned how to
de-escalate a situation that can cause domestic violence.”
Many participants noted that this, along with learning about
communication and conflict resolution skills, new
opportunities for economic mobility, healthy marriage and
its value to fathers and financial planning all allowed them
to feel confident in managing their lives and relationships
better.
Brothers United can hang their hats on the fact that they are able to
change the language of fathers' lives in Lucas County. Two
ways they were able to do that is teaching new language
skills and by completing an Impact Evaluation of various
aspects of the program.
“One of the ways
that we have been able to improve co-parenting relationships
is simply by using the term co-parent and not referring to
the child's mother as baby momma and teaching our fathers to
not have anyone refer to them as baby daddy,”
said Avis Files.
“We believe that those terms are dismissive, and rather than
helping build our community, they aid in tearing it down.”
During this time of racial unrest, Pathway Inc. Brothers United Program
is pleased to say that their data shows that they’ve served
at least 75 percent African-Americans.
“I’m especially
proud of those who do the work for Brothers United,”
said Avis
Files. “The staff makes many sacrifices to make sure they
touch fathers in the community and do all we can to engage
them and continue to engage them until we see change. This
has not been an easy task, but one that has caused staff to
work evenings and weekends. As we always say, this is not a
regular 9-5 job. It is my hope that the data that comes from
Brothers United will be taken to build further programming
around fathers and families in Lucas County.”
Brothers United is also proud of all their community partners. They
express that the work they do could not be done alone. The
program is pleased that their community partners work with
them to help change the lives of fathers.
Pathway Inc.
Brothers United Fatherhood Coalition include the following
community partners:
Lucas County
Children’s Services, Lucas County Department of Jobs
and Family Services ,Lucas County Department of Jobs
and Family Services; Division of Child Support,
Volunteers of America, Bethany House, Mental Health and
Recovery Services Board of Lucas County ,Toledo
Public Schools, Toledo Public Schools Head Start ,Family
and Child Abuse Prevention Center, RFS Behavioral
Health, TASC of Northwest Ohio, Toledo Lucas County Health
Department ,Toledo Lucas County Getting to 1, Lucas
County Metropolitan Housing Authority ,Hospital
Council of Northwest Ohio Neighborhood Health Association
Other Community
Partners:
Lucas County Adult
Probation, Lucas County Work Release Department and
The Pregnancy Center
LMHA appreciates
the long standing partnership we have with Pathway Inc. and
in particular the Brothers United Fatherhood Program.
Brothers United deepens the relationship with father and
child and creates a positive relationship with parents and
promotes economic stability for the family and for the
community.
– Coleena Ali, vice
president of Resident Services and Pathway Inc. Board Member
Not only do their partners feel that this program is important, but so
do the participants:
“I felt blessed at
all times. Y’all came and got me, and I felt comfortable. I
felt like I was at home. I got structure through the rules.
I came home positive and motivated. It made me wake up and
not wanna leave my family. I was thinking about just being
alone, but BU made me see that my family was the most
important thing in the world.” -
Mr. Larena
“My life turned
around. It’s better. I can say that BU is a big part of my
life right now. They taught me the kids are one of the most
important things, taught me I need to be around for the
kids, show them affection, what to do and what not to do
around them because they watch everything.” -
Mr. Fox
“BU helped me to be
more of a standup guy. It made me more in touch with myself
and the roles I play in my children’s lives and family’s
life.” -
Mr. Boyd
“We are grateful
for the work we have done,”
said Avis Files.
“We have been able to diversify funding and add other
projects to support the work with Fathers. It is important
to remember that Fathers play a very vital and essential
role in the lives of their children and in the community.”
If you are
interested in joining The Brothers United Program or have
someone you want to refer : Call us at (419) 279-6297 or
www.pathwaytoledo.org
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