Gov. Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis spoke at the 2024 Florida Children and Families Summit in Orlando to discuss Hope Florida, Activate Hope, and the Father Initiative.
For over two decades, the Summit has brought child welfare professionals and stakeholders together to share best practices and find ways to best serve children and families.
The governor gave updates on the Fatherhood Initiative, a program he established two years ago.
“Having that male role model can make a big difference,” DeSantis said.
The initiative highlights the “critical role that fathers have in their children’s lives and provides a wide spectrum of family support.” Tampa-based non-profit Family First was selected to be the implementor for the first portion of the project.
DeSantis said having a father figure can help children, mainly boys, grow up and stay on a good path. He added the program to create opportunities to keep fathers in children’s lives.
“If we’re able to be in a situation where increasing the number of men who are taking the responsibility as fathers seriously and are engaged that is going to be good for the state of Florida,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis touted other programs in the state he said have seen great success, like Hope Florida, which began in 2021.
It’s a care portal that connects those in need to the appropriate resource groups.
Last month, the program was expanded to provide resources for individuals impacted by natural disasters through the Activate Hope Program.
“We take pride in disaster response,” DeSantis said.
The governor said over 3 million people had no power after Hurricane Ian. Some of the hardest-hit areas didn’t have power for around a week. Now, thanks to Activate Hope, after Hurricane Debby, people had their power back on within 48 hours.
The duo said they will continue to fund and help these programs as they continue to grow.
Floridians who need support can connect with Hope Florida by visiting www.HopeFlorida.com or calling the Hope Line (833-GET-HOPE).
Organizations interested in joining Hope Florida’s CarePortal can visit www.HopeFlorida.com.
