Since 2019, Back2Back Cincinnati has faithfully served youth and families in several neighborhoods around the city. The Family Care team exists to walk alongside caregivers who are experiencing significant disparities and have limited access to resources and community.  This is accomplished in several ways, including parent education, therapeutic groups, ESL, individual family care coordination to work on goals, and group experiences to foster a healthy community. Finally, twice a year, all caregivers and families are invited to join staff for gatherings designed to celebrate and reconnect as an extended community. This is all in pursuit of creating stronger family units growing together towards sustainability, much like the Strong Families Program at various Back2Back sites.

At the end of May, Back2Back Cincinnati staff held their annual picnic, inviting 53 families from Cincinnati! Many of the moms who were invited have been a part of the community for over a year.  When staff first met them, they were women focused on survival and keeping their children afloat; today, they are women who feel safe around the staff and within the environments created for and by them. They want the people in their world to experience this same safety, so many of them invited loved ones to experience this journey alongside them.

“‘This is a community I am proud of’ is a constant refrain we hear from the moms, specifically,” Back2Back staff shared. “Many of the women invited their extended families – the community they’ve built offers a sense of fulfillment, and they want to share it with those they love most.”

It was a picnic like many held before, but when Back2Back staff took in the engagement happening and the new faces they were meeting, they realized what they’d help cultivate. Some families were represented by three generations; felt safety is prioritized, and connections are being forged and solidified every day.