Nurturing Fathers Initiative Supports Dads on Their Parenting Journey

From our February 2022 newsletter

Something was missing.  Over the course of his twenty-year career as a social worker, James Simmons, HIP Housing’s Self Sufficiency Program Client Services Manager, had noticed that there were many client programs in his field for mothers and children, but few for fathers.  Sure, there were men-only programs that addressed substance abuse, alcohol abuse, and mental health, but nothing to help men on their journey to becoming the best dads they could be.

So, Simmons went to HIP Housing’s Executive Leadership Team and advocated for fatherhood engagement services within the Self Sufficiency Program.  With that advocacy, the Nurturing Fathers Initiative was born!

Slowly, this new initiative took shape.  Simmons attended a three-day event in Oregon to gain his training certification in the Nurturing Fathers Initiative curriculum.  This evidence-based course was designed to teach parenting and nurturing skills to men, with each class within the curriculum providing knowledge and proven, effective techniques around child development and healthy family relationships.  The course also focuses on teaching the importance of self-care and having a support system.

Once he was a certified trainer, Simmons began to advertise the Nurturing Fathers Initiative to SSP fathers.  He held his first event on March 1, 2020, mere weeks before San Mateo County went into lockdown for the pandemic.  With in-person gatherings a (temporary) thing of the past, he had to adapt the initiative to a virtual format.  The first cohort of dads met in October 2020.

In spite of the pandemic, the Nurturing Fathers Initiative at HIP Housing continued to grow.  In July 2021, Simmons added a fatherhood support group to the program, open to both current SSP fathers and to dads referred by other community-based agencies.  He also began to host events at parks and other outdoor spaces where fathers could do bond with their children, and the dads in the group could bond with and support each other.

The Nurturing Fathers Initiative is still a work in progress, but Simmons notes that he is receiving lots of positive feedback about the curriculum, peer support, and father-child outings from participants.  “Fatherhood is a journey,” Simmons says.  “It’s important dads know they don’t have to do it alone.”