TAHLEQUAH — A family, if viewed as a chain, may only be as strong as its weakest link, or member. Add to this weakness a history of mental, physical and/or substance abuse and a vicious cycle emerges.
Monday, representatives of more than 10 community organizations and many community members met to discuss ways they can join together to assist fragile families.
Lynn Smith, communications and event specialist for Oklahoma Systems of Care, said families become fragile for a variety of reasons.
“Most often, these reasons include divorce, unemployment, school dropouts, untended pregnancies, homelessness, crime, incarceration, injuries and loss of life,” said Smith. “When families are impacted, the entire community is impacted. Communities are living organisms, just like our bodies. If a child suffers from a broken arm, the whole body and soul is affected. When communities suffer from broken family units, we all are impacted. From a less productive workforce to increased crime, our communities suffer. We all need to work together to invest in our future on the front end.”
http://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/local/x1535387476/Fragile-families-take-toll-on-communities
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