Fathers’ UpLift works to assist fathers in overcoming barriers (financial, oppressive, emotional, traumatic, and addiction-based) that prevent them from remaining engaged in their children’s lives. We engage in a three-tiered approach to our mission, focusing first on impacting individuals, then on building families, and finally on enabling societies and communities to better serve and support fathers and families beyond our doors. These three tiers of impact are upheld by four pillars of programs outlined below:
- Clinical Support program: Clinical therapy services for men and families to help them navigate challenges related to parenting and expressing their feelings.
- Therapeutic Coaching services: Personal mentorship/guidance and holistic assistance with stressors such as employment, houselessness, custody challenges, and more. Involved in our Therapeutic Coaching services is our Fathers’ Homecoming Program in which Fathers’ UpLift meets with men up to 6-months prior to reentry to build a plan of care. Upon release, we provide a “Bag for Dad” and transportation to their current place of residence.
- Youth Services: Supporting fatherless youth with programming to address the root cause of fatherlessness and stop cycles of father absenteeism.
- Male Engagement Institute: Trainings, curriculum, and internships provided with the goal of guiding mental health agencies, government agencies, and schools of social work on how to best serve and support fathers and families.
Central to Fathers’ Uplift’s mission is a priority placed on making mental health accessible and familiar for historically marginalized and low-income communities. We believe that therapy and coaching services are most effective when staff share cultures, backgrounds, and experiences with the population they’re serving. Because of this belief, the majority of Fathers’ Uplift staff are people of color, including both Black and Hispanic coaches, making our services accessible to both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking populations in our community and maximizing feelings of trust and familiarity.