Canton Housing Authority Celebrates Strong Families

Bouncing House: Canton Housing Authority celebrates Strong Families

From left: Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, MS State Representative, Alvin Jackson; HUD Public Housing Specialist Terrance Course, also Chairman of Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative for the fraternity; HUD MS Public Housing Director Sheila Jackson; HUD MS Field Office Director Jerrie Magruder; fraternity Canton chapter President Creston Burse; and Canton Mayor William Truly, Jr., also a member of the fraternity.

An estimated 200 residents of Canton Housing Authority public housing and multifamily developments enjoyed a day of good food, games, and valuable information about financial literacy, health care, and social services.

Since the inception of HUD's Father's Day in 2011 we have known that it's the mothers that do much of the heavy lifting as it relates to raising families. In public housing communities where 75% of families are led by single women, that's an enormous amount of responsibility, and one which should be given due consideration. The new focus on both parents aims to connect men and women to resources that will aid in improving these outcomes and unify the family. Involved fathers empower mothers, and by empowering mothers, families succeed.

The Canton Housing Authority hosted its first HUD Strong Families event at their Joe Pritchard Homes site. Executive Director Stan Beasley said the agency was thrilled to be able to support this event. "This is just one of the many outreach efforts that we offer to help residents access services they may need to overcome barriers to employment, strengthen their financial capability, and address other challenges holding them back from achieving their goals," said Beasley. "We offer programs such as financial coaching, GED preparation, nutrition and budgeting classes just to name a few. We want all of our residents to have the opportunity to achieve their goals."

For their Strong Families activity, Canton Housing Authority partnered with Omega Psi Phi fraternity, whose members cooked and served lunch on-site. Activities like the Strong Families event move members to their core, according to Alvin Jackson, Mississippi state representative for the fraternity. "We, as Men of Omega, are already charged with a Fatherhood Initiative where we mentor young African American males through different outlets," said Jackson. "We are excited to partner with HUD and their Strong Families Initiative, as well as assist with local housing authorities by lending our time and resources to help improve the plight of families. We would like to start in Canton, MS and use the work done there as a model to branch off throughout Mississippi where Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. already has graduate chapters working, and specifically focus part of our work on the needs of the family through local housing authorities."

Their excitement is contagious. Canton Mayor William Truly is also a member of the fraternity. Creston Burse, local Canton chapter Basileus (President), indicated their organization has been vested and entrenched in the fabric of making a tangible impact in the Canton community since 1995 and their May 24th event "parallels with our International initiative that supports and promotes healthy Fatherhood and Mentoring in our communities."

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