DHSS Awards Funds To Promote Healthy Marriages In Alaska
Innovative strategies designed to promote, strengthen marriages in Alaska.
The Department of Health and Social Services has awarded eleven grants to community and faith-based organizations for programs and services designed to support the formation and maintenance of married, two-parent families. A total of 27 proposals were received, of which 25 were deemed responsive. Funding for the Healthy Marriages Initiatives totals $503,478 and were offered in grants between $24,801 and $50,000 per organization.
"Alaska's Healthy Marriage Initiative is a 'coming to action' that will strengthen families and improve the lives of children," said DHSS Commissioner Joel Gilbertson. "These efforts, by assisting in the formation of healthy, married two-parent families, will help reduce the number of children living in poverty in Alaska."
According to two recent studies, one by the Brookings Institute and another by Robert Lerman of the Urban Institute, there is strong evidence that marriage by itself is a cause of the lower poverty rates enjoyed by married parents and their children. Healthy, two-parent families are also more likely to ensure the well being of children than single parent families and those with two unmarried adults.
DHSS is able to fund these innovative programs because of its success in reducing welfare roles and empowering thousands of Alaskans to become self-sufficient. The state received a $3.18 million bonus in 2002 for successful welfare-to-work strategies that resulted in high-performance outcomes in several employment-related categories. "Our success at helping Alaskans move from welfare to work has continued to create promising opportunities through these federal bonus awards," says Public Assistance Director Katherine Farnham. "We look forward to Alaska's families benefiting from the funding of these strategies to promote healthy marriages."
To receive funding, the proposed programs or services had to be innovative, provide collaboration with other community organizations, and have clearly defined measures and outcomes. The following community and faith-based organizations will receive grant funding:
Kenaitze Indian Tribe IRA
Kenai, Alaska Award: $24,801Kenaitze IRA proposed to provide basic relational education for low-income families, training for area clinicians and a wide range of other social services professionals to support families. The grant also proposes follow-up support and counseling by staff at Head Start and the Family Center. Monthly outreach and educational materials will also be distributed.
Crossroads School Anchorage School District/Smart Families Initiative
Anchorage, Alaska Award: $49,889The Smart Families Initiative targets young fathers and mothers, promotes high school completion for teens in need and efforts to reduce out of wedlock pregnancies. The program will attempt to engage young fathers, provide relational instruction for both young fathers and mothers in order to support the formation of two-parent families as well as supporting academic achievement of both young parents.
Resource Center for Parents and Children
Fairbanks, Alaska Award: $48,060The Resource Center for Parents and Children proposes to deliver services to low income families and those at high risk of familial instability. A three-pronged strategy relies on marriage education and support classes, retreats for married couples, and a television ad campaign designed to promote strong marriages and families. The project proposes an innovative use of incentives to encourage participation in workshops and classes.
Covenant House Alaska/Youth Resource Center
Anchorage, Alaska Award: $49,999The Covenant House Alaska proposal targets a discrete population of homeless youth accessing their Youth Resource Center. The proposal focuses on efforts to promote attitudinal changes in youth through a Relationship Education Program that emphasizes skill building in healthy relationships, refusal of unhealthy relationships, conflict resolution and marriage education. WAIT training, a nationally known abstinence curriculum, will be used as part of regular case planning and will also be available to youth in the agency's transitional living programs. In addition the project will also focus on educational and vocational needs of program participants.
Catholic Community Services
Juneau, Alaska Award: $50,000Catholic Community Services proposes to augment existing services for parents with content to enhance relationship and parenting skills. A nationally validated financial curriculum, "Money Smart" will address finance and budgeting issues that often impact family stability. Parenting support groups and workshops will reinforce and strengthen marital relationships. An established curriculum will be used to address issues facing "blended" families.
Nikiski Church of the Nazarene
Nikiski, Alaska Award: $25,000This proposal consists of a four-point strategy that provides workshops for "blended" families and parenting skills enhancement. Services include marriage enrichment, family-life seminars and financial planning.
Aiding Women in Abuse and Rape Emergencies (AWARE)
Juneau, Alaska Award $50,000This proposal seeks funding for AWARE's planned Juneau Batterers Accountability Program. The project attempts to address both the formation and maintenance of healthy relationships with an added focus on reducing the incidence of family violence. The program is intended to promote healthy marriages and healthy dating relationships, resulting in more women, men and children living in homes free of domestic violence.
New Hope on the Last Frontier
Anchorage, Alaska Award: $49,780This project proposes to present "LifeSkills," a proprietary, video-based, psycho-educational counseling model to be delivered over a 26-week period. The proposal targets five communities in Southcentral Alaska and two correctional facilities. The project will serve up to 100 individuals and 80 couples.
Providence Kodiak Island Counseling Center
Kodiak, Alaska Award: $49,949This project will provide the "Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program" in Kodiak with outreach to five outlying communities in the region. Using a class environment the project intends to serve 150 couples and up to 100 students through a cooperative agreement with the local school district.
Alaska Family Resource Center
Palmer, Alaska Award: $50,000This project proposes to train selected agency staff to provide a "couples relationship enhancement program" and a marriage education course for couples in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. In addition, the project intends to increase awareness in the Mat-Su Valley about the value of healthy marriages through a multi-media information campaign.
Nome Community Center
Nome, Alaska Award: $50,000The Nome Community Center proposes the use of a CD-ROM-based education program for teaching family/parenting skills. The proposed computer program will model the "Parenting Wisely" program identified as a best practice by SAMSHA.