Program rehabs non-custodial dads

Forestdale, Inc. has been hosting a free program for the last eight years that seems especially noteworthy since we just celebrated Father’s Day.
The Father’s Initiative Program, founded in 2000, aims to reconnect fathers who have been separated from their children due to violent tendencies, drug addictions, or crime. It currently serves 150 fathers.
Scott Leach, the administrative director of the program, said that the Father’s Initiative Program meets bi-weekly and mostly caters to non-custodial fathers in Queens. According to Leach, the program is free thanks to grants from the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development.
The actual rehabilitation process, Leach said, is similar to a 12-step program but varies on a case-by-case basis.
“It’s not exactly like a 12-step program, so there’s no uniform method that’s used,” he said. “We treat each patient differently. We’ve had many come in unemployed, and we’ve given them contacts and referred them to other organizations, too.”
Although Leach has only been working in the Father’s Initiative Program for around a-year-and-a-half, he believes he has seen, “well over 400” fathers in that time period come in for help.
Leach believes that the most important part of the Father Initiative Program is that it shows its patients how to be real fathers, especially for those who grew up without dads of their own.
“In the early 60s, fathers began leaving their families much more frequently,” Leach said. “Now we’re on the third generation of men who grew up in households without a father - without a male role model.”
The program, according to Leach, benefits both families and society in general.
“Statistics show that a more involved father leads to less pregnancies in girls before college, less incarcerations for young men, and less poverty. It ultimately keeps all these people out of social service.”
The Father’s Initiative Program holds various meetings and events to bring its families and fathers together, including a father-daughter Valentines dance held in February.
Forestdale Inc. is a family service agency that has existed for over 150 years, helping families at risk and aiding non-custodial dads in reconnecting with their children.
For more information on the Fathering Initiative Program, call Forestdale, Inc. at 718-263-0740.