Fatherhood Program
of the Florida Keys
We offer services in English, Spanish, and Creole for the entire Florida Keys
The Southernmost Fatherhood Initiative is funded through the Human Service Board of Monroe County
We offer job training funded through the Truist Foundation
Counseling services via ZOOM and in person.
Services are available in the community and in the Monroe Detention Center.
For more information please feel free to contact us via email at apsmccrp@aol.com
Continuing services through:
• ZOOM Meetings
• Conference calls
• Evidence-based counseling sessions
A Positive Step of Monroe County, Inc. (APSMC) has recently received funding from the Fatherhood Program. This is a much-needed program designed to address skill building for dads 18-30 years old living in the Florida Keys. APSMS is using the 12 session evidence-based curriculum, 24/7 DADS in the community and Inside/Out Dads in the detention center. The curriculum is developed for closed groups of 6-10 dads. We offer pre/post testing with a certificate on completion. The curriculum will address, but is not limited to: communications, anger, health, relationship with mom, relationship with kids, and substance use. APSMC will have guest speakers. We'll introduce these dads to the 12 step programs, if needed, GED referrals, OSHA training, construction job referrals, job coach, and case management. Not all these services are available to the dads in the detention center, however, dads can enter the Fatherhood Program in the community upon their release.
For more information contact Billy Davis directly at (305) 304-1969
A Positive Step of Monroe County adds domestic violence educational component to its Southernmost Fatherhood Initiative program
In April, the New York Times reported a collateral crisis arising from the coronavirus pandemic and its attendant stressors–a surge in domestic violence.
A Positive Step of Monroe County, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has served Monroe County’s highest-risk children and their families since 1999, is undertaking a proactive, preventative approach by expanding its existing Southernmost Fatherhood Initiative educational program to include a new, elective, domestic violence awareness and prevention component, titled Understanding Domestic Violence.
“We launched our Southernmost Fatherhood Initiative in early 2019 to provide support training for dads, including incarcerated ones, to cultivate new skills in parent, co-parent and child relationships—along with anger management, health, and substance abuse awareness,” said Billy Davis, APSMC founder and executive director. “COVID-19 has created a whole new set of challenges and stressors for our clients, many of whom haven’t had a role model – or a good role model, on which to base their own parenting and co-parenting skills.”
For dads who elect to participate in the Understanding Domestic Violence component, the usual 12 week/12 session Southernmost Fatherhood Initiative program will extend to 15 weeks/15 sessions, all conducted via Zoom meetings and conference calls until such a time that a safe social distancing situation can be arranged.
“By coming to understand the actual definition of domestic violence, its cyclical nature, and how to recognize early warning signs, dads can also learn to defuse potential violence before it occurs,” said Davis.
The Southernmost Fatherhood Initiative program is evidence-based—meaning it has been tested and validated through educational and social service organizations and also includes additional supportive services, including access to 30 hours of OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) training and certification, CDL (Commercial Drivers License), and a GED (Graduate Equivalency Degree) program offered through the Monroe County School District.
The program welcomes court ordered participants as well as self and community partner referrals. All participants receive weekly grocery store gift cards and a certificate of completion at the end of the program.”
The Southernmost Fatherhood Initiative is supported by The Keys Open Door Foundation, the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys, the United Way of the Florida Keys, Key West Sunrise Rotary, and generous private donors.
For enrollment, contact Billy Davis at 305-304-1969 or APSMCCRP@aol.com. For more information on A Positive Step of Monroe County visit APSMC.org.
