Milwaukee County receives $10M grant to enhance "Pathways to Responsible Fatherhood" project

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele on Thursday, October 8th announced a $10 million “New Pathways for Fathers and Families” Administration for Children and Families grant that will build on and enhance the county’s "Pathways to Responsible Fatherhood" project.

Milwaukee County is the only child support agency in the U.S. to receive and administer a “Pathways to Responsible Fatherhood” grant from the federal government.

This grant partners Milwaukee County with community organizations to help fathers improve their economic security. With this funding, Child Support Services has piloted a one-of-a-kind model that works to not only get support to kids who need it and strengthen family relationships, but to help fathers receive job training, improve their economic mobility opportunities, and recover lost driver’s licenses.

The New Pathways grant will fully fund $2 million per year, for the next five years, allowing Milwaukee County to build on this success, add more in-depth services, and provide more hands-on case management with an increased level of measurement and evaluation.

“There’s no greater joy in my life than being a dad and being involved in my kids’ lives. I want every father to have the opportunity to provide for their children and help them succeed,” Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele said. “In the first three years of our Pathways to Responsible Fatherhood program we have provided assistance to more than 6,000 Milwaukee area fathers, to include job training and employment services for more than 1,100 fathers, with more than 500 of them actually receiving a job placement. The New Pathways for Fathers and Families grant will allow us to empower even more fathers and more families to live a better life.”