Housing Authority of the City of Spartanburg Presents 2019 HUD Strong Family Initiative

Housing Authority of the City of Spartanburg Presents 2019 HUD Strong Family Initiative

SPARTANBURG, SC – HUD Strong Families events are designed bring together HUD, other federal agencies and partners in support of the event. The Housing Authority of the City of Spartanburg (SHA) will collaborate with the City of Spartanburg, Spartanburg Juneteenth, The Community Group and Brothers Restoring Urban Hope for a fun-filled event for the whole family from 11:00 AM - 02:00 PM on Saturday, June 15, 2019 at Carver Middle School. SHA residents will have the opportunity to engage in free health screenings, a college fair featuring Historically Black Colleges and Universities and local institutions of higher education, and a resource and job fair. There will be games and activities for the youth, teenagers, adults, and the elderly. The day begins with transportation provided by Spartanburg County School District 7 at each of the SHA public housing sites. Free food and a family portrait will be provided to each registered resident.

Juneteenth Partnership

Spartanburg Juneteenth, Inc., is hosting a Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 15, 2019, starting at 11:00AM and ending at 6:00PM at Carver Middle School, in Downtown Spartanburg. Spartanburg Juneteenth, Inc. has partnered with the City of Spartanburg and the Spartanburg Housing Authority in order to maximize its outreach to the community. Spartanburg Juneteenth will include (1) Cultural exhibits commemorating the ending of slavery and Black History; (2) a College Fair; and (3) special exhibits from the Spartanburg Housing Authority and the City of Spartanburg, its partners in this great Celebration. There will also be a Dance Competition, “Buck by Popular Demand,” featuring students from the Upstate and their dance teams. For more information please visitwww.spartanburgjuneteenth.com.

Background of HUD Strong Families Initiative:

Since the inception of HUD’s Father’s Day in 2011, we have known that it’s the mothers that do much of the heavy lifting as it relates to raising families. In public housing communities where 75% of families are led by single women, that’s an enormous amount of responsibility, and one which should be given due consideration. HUD’s focus on Father’s Day was intended to bring awareness to the grim statistics children living in father-absent homes face. Fatherhood should not only be a topic with which we speak only with men. Fatherhood programs have more recently found that if they only work with men and never connect with their female partners, then there is less reason for the female partner to want to connect with the father. Our new focus on both parents will aim to connect men and women to resources that will aid in improving these outcomes and unify the family. Involved fathers empower mothers, and by empowering mothers, families succeed.

Our mission is to Strengthen, empower and improve the quality of life of families living in HUD assisted housing communities by providing access to a variety of services through a strategic collaborative approach in the areas of health, education and economic empowerment. HUD Strong Families events are celebrated anytime during the months of May and June and are designed to empower families with resources to ensure positive opportunities.