Supporting Parents to be the Best Parent They Can be

HHI activities directed at supporting fathers

On four occasions in 2018, Karen Hudson presented her dissertation research on nonresidential fathers parenting their children living in shelters without them:

• Homeless Health Initiative's Day of Dialogue in March, “Fathers and the Health and Well-being of Children in Shelters” to an audience of approximately 80
• National Healthcare for the Homeless Conference session in May to an audience of approximately 50
• Brown Bag Lunch event in April for approximately 12 people
• Children’s Work Group Meeting in June to an audience of approximately 30

Since these presentations, HHI has led efforts to include fathers in new and existing CHOP programming. HHI interns have researched strategies to engage fathers in emergency housing.

Additionally, HHI has participated in the Department of Health Community Action Network’s Fatherhood Subcommittee.

Family Care Curriculum gets broad audience

A descriptive article about Family Care Curriculum (FCC), a train-the-trainer parenting model that aims to improve parenting specifically for families experiencing homelessness, was published in the Maternal and Child Health Journal in 2018. (Sheller SL, Hudson KM, Bloch JR, et al. Matern Child Health J. 2018:22(9);1247-1254.)

Sandy Sheller, ATR-BC, LPC, president of the Sheller Family Foundation, and Karen Hudson, co-developers of the FCC, continued their collaboration and efforts with Drexel researchers Joan Bloch, PhD, MPH, Stephanie Ewing Krauthamer, PhD, MPH, and Jamie Slaughter-Acey, PhD, MPH. They are seeking funding to evaluate and disseminate the FCC program.

In October 2018, FCC training was offered to eight Philadelphia shelter staff from the Drueding Center and Stenton Family Manor. In addition, an FCC clinical retreat was held for the research team.