All of South Carolina’s Fathers and Children Deserve to Celebrate this Father’s Day

Father’s Day is a special time of the year.  It is a time to celebrate. It is a time to be thankful.  It is an opportunity to spend time with our fathers or reflect on the memories we have of fathers no longer with us.  Also, as fathers, we can think about those special times we have had with our own children. However, many children will spend this Father’s Day without a dad involved in their lives. An important initiative of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina is to reconnect fathers and their children. In many of South Carolina’s poor communities, the absence of a father in the household is pervasive. Research shows that father absence leads to negative outcomes for children and bears significant social and economic consequences.   

Since 1998, our Foundation has invested more than $18 million to reengage fathers and their children, and help fathers become contributing members of society. Our fatherhood programs around South Carolina support relationship building, job training, GED attainment, child support payment, health access and other important programs and resources that help fathers assimilate back into a productive family life.

Last year, more than 1,700 men were served through the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, an outgrowth of the Foundation’s Fatherhood Initiative.  Of these men, 527 gained employment and an additional 261 men received a better paying job. Nearly one third of these fathers improved their relationship with their child or children.

One extremely important financial statistic is that these fathers paid $1,151,759 in child support payments in 2011 and $188,000 in arrears payments.  Had fatherhood programs not existed for these men, they likely would have landed in jail at great expense to South Carolina taxpayers. This year, 2012, marks the ten-year anniversary of the Foundation’s establishment of the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families. Over the past decade, thousands of men were served throughout state. Thousands of men have entered the workforce and millions of dollars were collected in child support payments. There are no quick fixes or easy answers to a lot of the problems these fathers face. Fatherhood programs through the Center are changing the lives of fathers and children and the results are measurable and successful. 

This is a time in which we express gratitude for our own fathers and for our own children. South Carolinians should also be grateful for programs and services that are provided for those fathers that have very few options and are struggling to meet their parental and financial obligations. Let’s hope that this Father’s Day is special for all of South Carolina’s fathers and their children. They truly deserve it.

Tom Keith is the president of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina.

Assessing Poverty Through the Man on the Street

Sometimes when I am walking down the street and encounter a person that is homeless or poor, I find myself with an uncomfortable feeling. If there are a group of homeless people gathered, I may even cross to the other side of the street. This is not something I am proud of or consciously decide in advance. It just happens. The other day, I was walking downtown near dusk and I encountered such a person. His clothes were dirty; he was unshaven and unkempt. He was pushing a shopping cart and talking to himself. Actually, he was yelling. His cart was full with contents of soiled clothes, boxes, soda cans, plastic bags, magazines and newspapers. I quickly realized that he was oblivious to me and his shouting was intended for any and all to hear. As I uncomfortably walked by him, I thought about his life. He was in a totally different world than me. He is in a world where he measures his future hour by hour or day to day. He had no real concept of how his words or actions impact others. Moving passed him, I wondered how he had arrived at this juncture in life. Was it drugs or alcohol, sickness, mental illness, unemployment or other afflictions that render him a statistic or consequence of poverty?

Then I questioned if his circumstances run deeper and longer than those of situational poverty. I wondered if he was born into poverty, grew up in foster care or an institution, and has been a product of poverty his entire life.  Did he receive an inadequate education? Was he ever truly loved or embraced by a parent, or knew and had the support of a family unit? I wondered if he was an example of the many root causes of poverty that exist, and he is just living the next stage of his life, a stage that leaves him with few choices.

I continued thinking. How many children are on the same journey as this man? Have we done all that we can do to insure that our next generation of poor children won’t end up pushing a shopping cart and living on the street? This may be an extreme example, but my point is that most people don’t just wake up one morning and find themselves living in poverty. There is a reason they have ended up there and quite often their failures may be out of their personal control.

Poverty is systemic and it is pervasive and it starts at birth for many. Those of us interested in eradicating poverty must start early and intervene often. It is too late to make the impact needed, if we wait to intervene at the homeless shelters, food banks or free medical clinics. We can help deal with problems at those places but we won’t prevent them from happening. A lot of our energy and emphasis needs to be with children. They need to start learning earlier. They need adequate food. They need consistent and ongoing health care. They need caring teachers to help shepherd them through school and not give up on them no matter how limited the resources are or how far behind they get. They need the support of families, communities, churches and civic organizations. They need to know that just because they live in a deprived neighborhood or poor school district, they will have opportunities to be taught by talented and committed educators and, yes, if they work hard, they will have a chance to further their education. It is called hope. Hope breeds self-esteem. Self-esteem breeds talent and talent is what we need in this world.

So the man on the street may or may not have had a real chance. But there are plenty of people that do have a chance and have potential if we can help them find it. But it really needs to begin when a child opens his or her eyes at birth. Then each hour and each day is built from a foundation that provides for opportunity and success. If we commit to these goals for all children then fewer of them will be pushing shopping carts on the streets and looking for a place to sleep at night.

Tom Keith is the president of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina

What does poor mean today?

We so often hear the term poor people but do we ever stop to think what “poor” means. Growing up, for me, it was the older man standing on the street corner holding out his hat asking for change. Today, it is much different. Without going into the financial part of it, which is somewhere in the $20,000 range for a family of four, a snapshot of today’s poor looks something like this:

• The Homeless- This is a critical part of our population that is primarily dealing with situational poverty. They have no place to live, have no food and have health needs. They are dependant on others to provide these services. In addition, many of these individuals are dealing with unaddressed substance abuse and mental health issues.

• The Elderly- Many of the elderly population living in poverty are on a fixed income and barely get by. They qualify for Medicare and social security but have very limited funds for anything else. A major concern for the elderly is around long-term care and Medicaid eligibility. There are a limited number of beds for long term care for elderly people living in poverty and a good many of these facilities are substandard.

• Children- Many children live in single family homes that are well below the poverty line. A lot of these children may be eligible for Medicaid but have not been registered. Health access is a major concern for children living in poverty. Furthermore, children living in poverty are often left at home after school which can be unsafe and unproductive. There is a growing need for more accredited after school programs that can provide tutoring, mentoring and a safe haven for children that, otherwise, may find themselves home alone.

• The Working Poor- These individuals are working one or two low-wage jobs and are barely making ends meet. They often live in low-rent housing and have minimal discretionary money for spending. Many qualify for subsidies, but struggle to receive these benefits they are entitled to because of a complicated government system.

• Fathers- Low-income fathers struggle to meet their child support obligation and often find themselves incarcerated or unable to deal with financial expectations because of lack of education and job skills. While there is a much progress in supporting these fathers, more can be done. Fathers’ supporting their children is a critical need and we must invest more in developing their skills and abilities so they can meet their responsibilities.

The question becomes “What do we need to do as a society to impact these and other constituencies not mentioned?” I think we have many options, and here are a few:

• Invest in education. Find more ways for young people to get their GED, get training at technical colleges and increase their skill level.
  

• Invest more in early childhood education so children, especially those from poor families, will be better prepared for school and be more successful.

• Improve parenting skills for parents living in low-income situations.
  

• Provide better training and skills around financial management.
  

• Make sure all children have access to health care.
  

• Make sure all individuals who qualify for Medicaid are registered in a quick and responsive manner. Let’s remove barriers.
  

• Strengthen the network of providers of health care for the poor through our free medical clinics, other private health access programs and free medication programs.
  

• Provide more job training for adults.
  

• Provide more adult literacy programs.
  

• Insure those living in poverty have equal access to justice as those who can pay.
  

• Make sure systems of government are “user friendly” and help not deter clients who need services.
  

• Involve the private sector more, including businesses, churches, civic groups, retirees and others, to help continue to address problems that face those living in poverty.
  

• Transportation. This has a major impact on those living in poverty and is a barrier to many services such as medical appointments, employment, social services and grocery shopping. In many areas, public transportation is not available at all and there are no viable alternatives. This needs to be addressed as a system and we need to find better ways to serve the poor and allow them access to transportation to meet their daily needs.

There are many more examples of those living in poverty and of steps we can take to help these individuals and families. When you think about those living in poverty and it seems overwhelming, it is. However, we can make a difference and we should.

Tom Keith is the executive director of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina.