Strong Fathers Strong Families Project

At a Glance

The Strong Fathers Strong Families Project, led by Fathers Making Progress, aimed to address maternal and infant health disparities among Milwaukee’s Black families by focusing on the role of fathers and father figures. Milwaukee is one of the most segregated cities in the United States as historical and systemic racism have perpetuated disparities in income, health and other socioeconomic measures that contribute to urgent health crises and increased violence and civil unrest. Previous work has demonstrated the positive impact of engaging fathers to improve family well-being, however a need for innovative and sustained efforts to address these challenges remained.

Fathers Making Progress exceeded their goals in empowering Milwaukee’s Black communities through efforts like the Fatherhood Mobilization Project, which conducted over 350 interviews in neighborhoods like Washington Park, Metcalfe Park and Lindsay Heights to inform innovative programming. They successfully hosted 50 Men’s Wellness Groups and 30 intergenerational sessions at local high schools, enhancing social connections and stress management skills among attendees. Additionally, their healthy relationship workshops evolved into the Love Lab series, which integrated relationship counseling and social activities to provide practical relationship tools.

The Challenge

Black families in Milwaukee, particularly those in the Central City and Northside areas, face significant maternal and infant health disparities. This region, with a 95 percent BIPOC population, is one of the most segregated in the United States, marked by racial disparities in income, health and other socioeconomic measures due to historical and systemic racism. These disparities have resulted in higher rates of maternal and infant mortality among Black families. Poor social determinants of health, such as low income, limited access to health care and segregated living conditions, exacerbate these issues, contributing to urgent health crises and increased violence and civil unrest. Previous initiatives, such as the “No Longer an Island” project, have demonstrated the positive impact of engaging fathers in maternal and infant health efforts, including that providing prosocial connections, leadership development and relationship tools to fathers can improve family well-being. Despite these successes, there remains a critical need for innovative and sustained efforts to address these deep-rooted challenges and improve the well-being of Black families in Milwaukee.

Project Goals

The primary goals of this project were to provide communally responsive programming and address maternal and infant health disparities among Milwaukee’s Black families by focusing on the role of fathers and father figures. Fathers Making Progress aimed to enhance family well-being by equipping men with prosocial connections, culturally relevant resources, leadership development and tools for managing stress and wellness to mitigate the impact of traumatic events. To ensure the effectiveness of these efforts, Fathers Making Progress planned to engage participants through focus groups and interviews, seeking authentic community input to further refine and improve programming.

Results

Fathers Making Progress met or exceeded each of their goals in empowering and supporting Milwaukee’s Black Communities. The Fatherhood Mobilization Project conducted over 350 interviews across Northside neighborhoods like Washington Park, Metcalfe Park and Lindsay Heights. These interviews informed programming and sparked numerous innovations over the course of the project. They successfully hosted more than 50 Men’s Wellness Groups and facilitated over 30 intergenerational men and youth groups at local high schools where attendees reported reduced social isolation, strengthened social connections and enhanced stress management skills.

In addition to individual coaching sessions that saw an 80 percent success rate in participants achieving their goals, the project engaged couples through healthy relationship workshops. These workshops, initially conducted in counseling settings with mental health professionals, evolved into the innovative Love Lab series based on participant feedback. Love Labs blended relationship counseling with social outings, providing fathers and their significant others with practical tools for managing stress and nurturing healthy relationships. Furthermore, Fathers Making Progress strengthened community bonds and support networks by engaging over 400 families through a variety of activities including barbecues, park games, resource fairs and back-to-school events.