Housing Authorities, Public Housing Families and Fathers throughout the Southeast Celebrate Father's Day 2011

Louisville Kentucky Metro Housing Authority Father's Day family fun activities

Tampa Florida Housing Authority Father's Days family fun

Atlanta Georgia Housing Authority Father's Day Kick ball activity

Over seventy public housing authorities, along with public housing residents and fathers throughout the Southeast in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin islands celebrated Father's Day as part of approximately 200 nationwide agencies that answered HUD's call to host Father's Day 2011 events. These events build on President Obama's Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative: Strong Fathers, Strong Families. The Father's Day 2011 initiative is to celebrate fatherhood, family and to support dads in staying connected with their children.

In towns, big and small, public housing authorities throughout the Southeast used the day to celebrate fatherhood and the importance of dads being connected with their children who live in public housing or surrounding communities. The events have a two-fold purpose: Providing fun activities to support the bonding of fathers and their children and connecting fathers to economic development resources.

"We know that many of our public housing and FHA insured multi-family units are populated with single moms doing the best they can on a daily basis," said HUD Southeast Regional Administrator, Ed Jennings, Jr. "Everything good about America starts at home with the family and having a program such as the Father's Day Initiative helps fathers to reunite with their family and build strong bonds."

Father's Day 2011 events generally consisted of support services for upward mobility for fathers and health support services. Also there were fun filled family related activities which included dancing, face painting, balloons and clowns and also food and refreshments.

"Public Housing Authorities across Region 4 held Father's Day events that emphasized the importance of fathers as a major component of a family," said Karen Cato-Turner, HUD Regional Director of Public Housing Region IV. "The family is the foundation of who we are as individuals and a nation and continued focus will only serve to strengthen communities."

According U.S. Census data, 24 million American children live in a home without a father. Also, the National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) (www.fatherhood.org/Page.aspx?pid=192) says children in homes absent a father are five times more likely to be poor; and are more likely to drop out of school or be incarcerated.

HUD's national Father's Day 2011 campaign is in part modeled after the New York City Housing Authority 2010 Fatherhood Initiative, which hosted a day-long event in all five of its boroughs to kick off ongoing economic development, parenting workshops, tutoring and bonding activities for fathers and children.

Read more about HUD's Father's Day 2011 on HUD's website.

###