MEDIA CONTACT: Kristine M. McGrath
561-297-1168, kmcgrath@fau.edu

FAU'S SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK RECEIVES FUNDING FOR HAITIAN FAMILY SERVICES PROGRAM
Services emphasize prevention, education and health care

B OCA RATON, FL (December 1, 2005) - Dr. Michele Hawkins, director and professor of FAU's School of Social Work in the College of Architecture, Urban and Public Affairs, received a contract for $250,000 from Florida's Department of Children and Families for continuation of funding of the Haitian Family Services Program.

FAU's Haitian Family Services Program provides prevention and educational services to the Haitian community in Palm Beach County. The program is designed to assist refugees, asylum seekers, entrants and lawful permanent residents who are making the transition from Haiti to the United States. Services are provided to help the programs' clients achieve economic self-sufficiency and to promote effective resettlement.

"Increasing clients' comfort levels in their new environment and highlighting cultural differences and expectations both in and out of the home are essential to successful resettlement in the United States," said Hawkins.

The program's strong emphasis on education focuses specifically on parenting and domestic violence issues for its clients. Additionally, through FAU's College of Nursing, program participants can receive health care information, treatment for minor ailments and information for more extensive health care treatments.

Currently in Palm Beach County, there are approximately 38,000 members of the Haitian community, and FAU's Haitian Family Services Program services approximately 1,500 people per year.

For more information about the program, contact Hawkins at 561-297-3234.

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The mission of the College of Architecture, Urban and Public Affairs (CAUPA) is to accumulate, generate, disseminate, and apply knowledge, practices, and prescriptions for urban regions in the 21st century. A common theme of the College's units is the promotion of the public interest and the preparation of our students to assume meaningful roles in society's public, quasi-public, and private agencies and organizations.