A new five-year project aims to strengthen Missouri families by strengthening individuals’ relationships, parenting skills, personal well-being and economic stability. Through personal consultations with case managers and group training, individuals, couples and families will receive training tailored to meet their individual circumstances. The project, Show-Me Healthy Marriages and Relationships, is led by David Schramm, an associate professor of human development and family science and a University of Missouri Extension family specialist, and Chelsea Garneau-Rosner, an assistant professor of human development and family science. The University of Missouri researchers received a $9.6 million grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families to implement the program.
“What really excites me about this project is that it can really make a difference in the lives of Missourians and even those out of state,” Schramm said. “As I have evaluated the trends in Missouri, I found the state, historically, has had higher levels of divorce and lower levels of marriage when compared nationally. As a state, we’re lagging behind, and I hope to turn the tides on that to really change things, and it starts with one relationship at a time.”
The program will target 2,000 low-resource Missouri residents in 21 counties with “wrap-around” services. All participants, whether married, coupled or single, will complete a relationship education class. Working with a case manager, the couples or individuals then will choose additional classes based on their needs. Participants may select training to improve parenting skills, money management skills, job skills and personal health and well-being. Regional specialists from MU Extension and MU graduate students will teach the classes, and these instructors will work directly with partner agencies throughout Missouri to offer the classes. Partner agencies include Central Missouri Community Action in Columbia, Douglass Community Services, Inc. in Hannibal, and Cornerstones of Care – Healthy Families Program in Kansas City.
Reviewed 2015-12-01