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Commission on Fathers, Men and Boys outlines community programs, seeks greater funding and partnerships
Summary
The commission presented its 2024 activities and future goals, citing limited resources ($5,000 annual budget), outreach on food/clothing drives, mental-health support for families affected by gun violence, education and returning-citizen programs and requests for more county partnerships and funding.
The Commission on Fathers, Men and Boys presented a summary of activities since 2020 and asked the Health, Human Services and Public Safety Committee for greater visibility, partnerships and funding to expand programs focused on fatherhood engagement, youth mentoring and reentry support.
Chair Robert Johnson described the commission’s mission to “advocate for policies and procedures to provide additional housing, education, workforce development” for fathers, men, boys and families in Prince George’s County. He said the group, founded in 2020, currently has seven members (13 positions are authorized) and lists initiatives including food and clothing drives countywide, toy drives and holiday outreach, mental-health workshops for mothers who lost children to gun violence, partnerships with returning-citizen divisions, and school-based mentoring and safe-passage work.
Johnson said the commission has a $5,000 annual budget and relies on partnerships to deliver programs. He identified barriers to expanded school engagement — notably background checks, their costs and restrictions for people with prior records — and urged further discussion with the school system and state partners about access for mentors and returning citizens.
Council members praised local programs and suggested greater collaboration with faith institutions, fraternities, coaches and community organizations. The commission identified near-term goals: expand safe-passage programs, enhance health initiatives, increase returning-citizen support, strengthen domestic-violence prevention and grow fatherhood engagement and mentorship programs.
The committee and commissioners discussed practical steps to raise the commission’s visibility at community events and to partner with the council and county agencies. No formal action or votes were taken on funding during the briefing; commissioners requested assistance in getting on council and agency event lists and in outreach to grant partners.
