Recent data suggest a very small proportion of the 3.7 million people in the U.S who identify as American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) are participating in Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) grant recipient programs, which are funded by the Office of Family Assistance within ACF and provide services to strengthen relationships and marriages, promote positive parenting, and support economic well-being. Although there is extensive research on HMRF programs and the populations they serve, there is a lack of systematic attention to whether and how these programs meet the needs of Native people. OPRE contracted with Mathematica to conduct the Advancing Best Practices and Cultural Relevance of Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Programs for Native Communities (I-HMRF) project.
The goal of the I-HMRF project is to enhance the cultural relevance and responsiveness of HMRF grant programs for Native communities and to develop resources for federal staff and technical assistance providers to promote equitable engagement and service delivery for Native community participants, This project will convene a Community Work Group comprised of Native Elders, subject matter experts, and current and former practitioners of HMRF programs, who will advise on all aspects of the project. The project team will conduct an environmental scan and qualitative descriptive study using approaches that are congruent with Native community approaches to knowledge generation. An internal memo will inform best practices for how federal staff may interact and work with Native community participants, communities and grantees, and an engaging, culturally salient toolkit with input from a Native community design firm will include concrete, actionable resources for providers serving Native populations.
OPRE POC: Kathleen McCoy & Aleta Meyer