A free program empowers men to foster responsible fatherhood through evidence-based workshops, education, case management, and coaching in relations, parenting, and economic stability, helping fathers strengthen their skills, confidence, and bonds. The Long Island Fatherhood Initiative (LIFI) is a FREE community-level program of the Retreat Inc, a nonprofit organization that has offered shelter, c
ounseling, advocacy, and supportive services to victims of domestic violence since 1987. A major emphasis of the program is to enhance economic stability, responsible Parenting, healthy relationships that will provide positive outcomes for fathers and youth. The goal of the program is to assist low-income, at-risk fathers to prevent incidences of family/domestic violence and overcome challenges that inhibit them from being a responsible father to their children and positive support to their intimate partner/wives. Majority of the men in our program are facing unemployment and/or living below poverty level and have some type of involvement with the criminal justice system. Most of them are struggling with:
•Developing and/or maintaining healthy relationships with their children and their intimate partner/wives
•Learning how to parent or co-parent effectively
•Being able to support themselves and their families financially
The Long Island Fatherhood Initiative engage such men proactively and inspire them to participate in a series of catalytic skill building, group and individual activities designed to leverage and activate their strengths.
•Increase each men’s knowledge and strategies for making healthy relationship decisions
•Adjust/ fine tune expectations for marriage and long term relationships
•Reduce inter partner and family violence
•Increase positive connection between participants and their children (biological or other children in the environment)
•Improve the quality of each men’s co-parenting relationships
•Improve the parenting skills
•Increase employment opportunities
•Increase the economic stability for families
•Decrease frequency of repeat criminal offenses
