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The HMI was begun to help couples, who have chosen marriage for themselves, to gain greater access to marriage education services, on a voluntary basis, where they can acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to form and sustain a healthy marriage.
The Healthy Marriage Initiative
In practical terms, the Healthy Marriage Initiative (HMI) focuses on:
- Implementing demonstration projects: ACF is working with States and communities to implement broad-based demonstration projects to strengthen marriages that will involve local governments, businesses, faith-based and civic organizations, non-profits and other key community sectors.
- Emphasizing marriage in Federal programs: ACF's program offices are promoting healthy marriages in every appropriate program. For example, marriage education and enrichment services are being provided, alongside existing services, to low-income couples who utilize Refugee Resettlement, Children's Bureau, Community Services and TANF services.
- Conducting research: This initiative is using existing funds to study the effectiveness of various marriage-strengthening services so that future resources can be efficiently targeted.
- Training: The initiative is providing training about healthy marriage issues to interested Federal ACF staff.
All healthy marriages share at least two characteristics. First, they are mutually enriching, and second, both spouses have a deep respect for each other. The HMI hopes to:
- increase the percentage of children raised by two parents in a healthy marriage
- increase the percentage of married couples in healthy marriages
- increase the percentage of premarital couples who have the skills and knowledge necessary to form and sustain a healthy marriage
- increase the percentage of youth and young adults who have the skills and knowledge to make informed decisions about healthy relationships and marriage
- increase public awareness about the value of healthy marriages
- encourage and support research on marriage and marriage education
- increase the percentage of women, men and children in homes that are free of domestic violence.
This initiative is not about:
- trapping anyone in an abusive or violent relationship
- coercing anyone to get or stay married
- running a federal dating service
- withdrawing supports from single mothers or diminishing their important work in any way
Why is the Federal Government promoting this initiative?
The Administration for Children and Families administers over 65 different social programs at a cost of $47 billion dollars each year. They include: child welfare, child support enforcement, programs for runaway youths and anti-poverty programs. The breakup of families and marriages often creates or exacerbates the need for such programs. To reduce the need for these services, we must begin preventing the problems from happening in the first place. One way to accomplish this is to help couples form and sustain healthy marriages.
Background:
Research suggests that children who grow up in healthy married, two-parent families tend to do better on a host of outcomes than those who do not. Further, many social problems affecting children, families and communities could be reduced if more children grew up in healthy, married families. For example:
- Married couples seem to build more wealth, on average, than singles or cohabiting couples, thus decreasing the likelihood that their children will grow up poor.
- Children who live in a two-parent, married household enjoy better physical health, on average, than children in non-married households.
- Healthy marriages reduce the risk to adults and children of becoming victims of, or perpetrating, violent crimes.
Congress acknowledged the importance of married-couple families when it reformed the welfare system in 1996. Three of the four stated purposes of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, created by the 1996 legislation, relate either directly or indirectly to promoting healthy marriages.
President Bush echoed this sentiment when he indicated that healthy marriages would be a focus of his administration. In proclaiming National Family Week in November 2001, he noted:
"My administration is committed to strengthening the American family. Many one-parent families are also a source of comfort and reassurance, yet a family with a mom and dad who are committed to marriage and devote themselves to their children helps provide children with a sound foundation for success. Government can support families by promoting policies that help strengthen the institution of marriage and help parents rear their children in positive and healthy environments. "
Funding
For FY 2005, $200 million has been requested for the Healthy Marriage Initiative.
How to obtain information or request technical assistance:
Visit our ACF website
Find out about the Building Strong Families project.
Administration for Children and Families
Healthy Marriage Initiative
370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW
Washington, DC 20447
Phone: 202.260.1550
E-mail Us
Updated August 2004
Office of Public Affairs (OPA)
