The leadership in the City of Hampton in the early 1990's came to realize that if the city was to be "city of choice" in the region, the best place to live, work and play, then the community needed to invest in families and youth. In many communities across the country, cities choose to invest in services that serve young people, in particular teenagers, because at their age some of the greatest high risk issues begin to surface - alcohol, tobacco, sexual activity, and pregnancy. But services to teens are only a portion of the solution. Hampton learn from listening to youth early on that youth sought support outside of school and earlier in life. Therefore, Hampton chose to invest in early childhood development and families. Those early investments were focused on more than innovative evidence based programs, but rather on a more holistic approach to impacting youth and families in their communities and in their homes. The idea was that families would be best supported through home visit programs, neighborhood-based youth development programs, quality after school enrichment services, neighborhood engagement, and the creation of neighborhood centers that serve residents closer to home.
Hampton wanted to be a city for families. A place that parents would choose to raise their kids, where grandparents helped kids discover new places of learning, where neighbors looked out for one another, where kids would grow, develop, and thrive, where they knew that they grew-up in a community of neighbors, focused on the success of families.
That dream continues to be developed and supported through the work at Healthy Families Partnership, Inc. by supporting home visit programs, community playgroups, parent education, after-school enrichment, literacy programs, and community giving. Help us continue to support families as they strive to achieve this Hampton dream.
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