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REAL Dads, a Model Fatherhood Program, Closes in Cincinnati
 
One of Ohio’s most nationally recognized fatherhood programs is now closed.  The REAL Dads Program at Lighthouse Youth Services in Cincinnati has served hundreds of fathers under a 5-year, $2.5 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services.  REAL Dads provided life coaching, help navigating child support, custody, and other legal issues through a unique partnership with the Hamilton County Child Support Enforcement agency.  

In a unique and progressive collaborative arrangement, Hamilton County CSEA placed an outreach caseworker onsite at REAL Dads to provide fathers with an easy and safe entry point to engage in and navigate County public agencies.  Lief Noll, a Cincinnati fatherhood advocate and OPNFF Board member stated, "The reputation of REAL Dads has led judges and magistrates to hold off on sanctions while fathers completed the program.  REAL Dads graduates have been featured in local television news stories, and the program was recognized by its Federal granting agency as one of the top 14 programs in the country because of its powerful collaboration with Child Support Enforcement."  Unfortunately for the hundreds of fathers served, the program was funded only by the federal grant.  Noll observed that "program leaders seemed confident that the program would be easily re-funded, but that was not to be the case.  The most recent round of fatherhood funding was met with a very high number of applicants and a stringent review process." 
 
In a Channel 9 news story, Lighthouse Youth Services president, Bob Mecum, cited errors on the part of reviewers as damaging their application’s chances at a fair shot at funding.  However, the Board of Directors of OPNFF have learned in conversations with other fatherhood practitioners from across the state suggest that Lighthouse’s grant reviews were not unique.  Several well-established fatherhood and healthy marriagae programs that seemed clearly to meet the requirements of the request for proposals were also turned away for seemingly minute technical issues.  "Such is the reality of our current economic and political climate," Noll commented.
 
Lighthouse will continue to try to get some measure of funding from other sources, and an active group of citizens from the community, led by Noll and other fatherhood advocates,  is exploring ways to obtain private funding for the program.  Decisions will need to be made about whether the program will continue as part of Lighthouse or whether it makes better sense to establish a free standing program that can be more agile in seeking private funding.  The demise of REAL Dads represents a tremendous loss to the Cincinnati community, but there are several passionate and creative fatherhood practitioners in the city, and they will find a way forward. 
 
James McDonald, OPNFF President, expressed concern about the closing of REAL Dads, and the precarious funding for other fatherhood programs across the state.  “While two organizations received at total of $4,560,000 for Responsible Fatherhood Projects, and five organizations received at total of $5,696,432 for Healthy Marriage Projects, many fatherhood and healthy marriage programs are on the verge of closing their doors due to the lack of funding,” McDonald said.  "Lighthouse REAL Dads served hundreds of fathers over 5 years on a budget of around $500,000 per year, by comparison," McDonald also noted.
 
Is the time right for a Community approach to fatherhood in Cincinnati?
The needs of Cincinnati area fathers are greater than any one agency’s program can meet, and the time may be right for finding an approach to doing fatherhood work in Cincinnati in broader, more interconnected manner.  Other Ohio communities have built successful fatherhood collaboratives (Cleveland, Zanesville, Springfield and Columbus among others), gathering public, private, and non-profit and faith-based agency resources to meet the needs of fathers more powerfully than any single agency could accomplish on their own. OPNFF provides resources to communities that wish to engage in creative, effective networking strategies around fatherhood issues. OPNFF offers training, technical assistance and support in coalition building toward community-based fatherhood work, tools for engaging and working with men, training in fatherhood-relationship skill building programs, and consultation about addressing the needs of fathers in rural, suburban, and urban communities.
 
OPNFF is hosting a series of conversations throughout Ohio about the state of fatherhood in your region.  The first Fatherhood Conversation will be held in the Cincinnati area, to help the community productively respond to the closing of REAL Dads.  Network President James McDonald extends this invitation to OPNFF members and everyone who cares about fathers and families:  “We want to hear from you and collaborate with you on ways to remain viable in our communities.  Though you may not have been funded in this recent round of federal grants, it is incumbent upon us to hold our commitment to this essential work.  A good fatherhood framework is in place.  Let’s not dismantle it.  We must fortify it.  We invite you to www.ohiofathers.org to see how to partner with OPNFF.”
 
The mission of the Ohio Practitioners’ Network for Fathers and Families is to enhance the outcomes of children, families and communities by providing information, training and encouragement to father and family-serving practitioners.  


 
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