Franklin County Family Stabilization Unit expands resources with new mentorship program
Franklin County's Family Stabilization Unit, a two-year pilot program that provides support for low-income families, is expanding its offerings with a mentorship program aimed at youths of color.
The county commissioners have approved a $135,000 agreement between the county Department of Job and Family Services' stabilization unit and the National African American Male Wellness Agency (AAWellness) to help fund the Boys To Men program.
Walter Dillard and Christopher Hunnicut, the specialists who oversee the Family Stabilization Unit, said the program aims to reduce behavioral issues, improve students' grades and create career pathways for future professions for at-risk Black youths by providing "wraparound" services to them and their families.
In time, Hunnicutt said, Boys To Men will form a "generational connectivity" between Black youths and adults, allowing effective mentorship to take shape.
"For us, this is something we're committed to because these Black boys look like us and they're members of the community (Dillard) and I not just support and work in, but we very much live in," Hunnicutt said. "So, I think this work is incredibly important and it's important it becomes universally valued throughout the nation, not just here in Columbus or in the metropolitan cities, but every county and every state."
With the partnership with AAWellness, Dillard said the two organizations will help strengthen young men at a young age, so as they matriculate into adulthood, they understand the type of men they should be.
When the stabilization unit was first developed in June 2020, Deputy County Administrator Joy Bivens said it was important for the program's leaders to represent the population they serve. And with Dillard and Hunnicutt at the forefront, she challenges them to continue invoking change on the ground and at the government-level.
"They're the subject matter," she said. "I'm the mama of a Black boy, but they live it every day. So, they're able to ensure that this initiative has the components it needs."
As they lead the pilot program, Dillard said he and Hunnicutt are working to get away from the "reactionary side of things." That comes with being proactive when pushing for policy changes, he said, starting with pulling data from case management software and putting those up against policies that hinder residents and families with economic challenges.
"We're looking at all these different policies that we see as barriers and then we get to have conversations with the people that lobby for these policies to figure out how we can replace, repeal or completely eradicate certain policies," Dillard said. "That's going to be a big goal of ours in 2021."
Commissioner Kevin Boyce said these efforts are all part of the county's "Rise Together Blueprint," which consists of several goals aimed at reducing poverty across the county.
"This work is important and critical to addressing some of the things we outlined two years ago," Boyce said during Tuesday's commissioners' meeting. "These are partners that allow us to carry out the mission to rise together; to allow those who are in positions of weakness in our community to be strengthened and to (acquire) the quality of life they all seek."
Under the blueprint, Commissioner Marilyn Brown said the county is working with entire families to see where the impact is needed most. While supportive of these efforts, Brown understands these solutions are long-term and won't happen swiftly.
"It's not an easy solution," Brown said. "We didn't get into this overnight, and we're not going to get out of the situation overnight ... But it's the long-term solutions that matter and stick and make the community stronger and better."
Going forward, Bivens said the Family Stabilization Unit also plans to develop programs geared at young, Black women and elementary school students, a step up from their current focus on teenage youth.
Nothing has been mapped out, Bivens said, as more discussions need to take place, but Dillard and Hunnicutt will look to have these initiatives developed in the coming months.