In 2010, five grassroots agencies who have been longtime members and partners in the Healthy Fathering Collaborative joined together to create the Reentry Reconnection Grassroots Coalition, providing four primary services to individuals involved with the criminal justice system in Cuyahoga County: fatherhood development, courthouse navigation and training, financial literacy education, and relationship skills education.

Workshops are provided at the Judge Nancy R McDonnell Community Based Correctional Facility and at the North Star Neighborhood Reentry Resource Center.  Workshops at North Star are free and open to the public!  Preregistration is not required.

Fatherhood/Parenthood Development programming is delivered by the Center for Fatherhood and Family Dynamics (CFFD).  Parenthood Development is offered weekly throughout the year on Thursdays, 4pm-6pm at the North Star Neighborhood Reentry Resource Center and four times a week at the Community Based Correctional Facility (CBCF)  Muqit Sabur and Faruq Abdul Khaliq, facilitators

Chilld Support and Courthouse Navigation is provided through K.E.Y.S. (Keep Empowering Your Self), a program provided by Key Source Pro Se Consulting and Training.  K.E.Y.S. workshops provide information and practical application to self-manage a variety of legal challenges: Child Support Arrearages; the Expungement Application Process; Establishing Legal Rights to Parenting Time; and The Power of Agreement - Mediation vs. Litigation.  K.E.Y.S. workshops will be offered quarterly.  Following participation in a workshop, customers will receive individual strategic planning and coaching based upon their specific situations.  Workshops are offered monthly on the 1st Wednesday of the month, 4-6pm, at North Star and weekly at the CCBF. A computer lab is offered on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, 10am-12noon at North Star.

The Money Management program is delivered by two grass roots agencies with deep history in the community: Harvest Consulting and the Wealth School.  Topics addressed will include: attitudes toward money, understanding credit, types of predatory lending, saving money on any income, and gambling.  Financial Literacy workshops are offered on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, 4-6pm at North Star and weekly at the CBCF.

PATTHS for Dads (Parents are Teaching and Talking About Healthy Sexuality)  and Fathering Healthy Relastionships are delivered by Passages.  The program empowers fathers and other family members to become competent, confident educators of their children around issues of sexuality, personal responsibility and dating relationships.  Participants learn how to talk honestly and openly about sexuality and reproduction and to role model responsible and healthy behaviors for their children. PATTHS is offered the 3rd Wednesday oft he month, 4-6pm at North Star and weekly at the CBCF.

Better Together is also delivered by the Center for Fatherhood and Family Dynamics.  The program is an activity-based and cross-cultural relationship skills program, teaching low income unmarried parents conflict resolution, relationship and communication skills.  The ultimate goal of the program is to provide parenting partners and couples the tools they need to strengthen their family.  The program is offered on the 4th Wednesday of the month, 4-6pm at North Star and at the CBCF.

Are you interested in these programs?  Call North Star at 216.881.5440 for more information.  Or just drop in for a workshop at North Star, 1834 East 55th Street.