By Jason Doyle Oden
The McCarville Report
Earlier this month, a legislative study examined the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative. The program is now called Project Relate Oklahoma and has expanded its reach beyond preparing couples for marriage. The organization provides guidance to couples facing a new birth whether they are married or not. However, the program does encourage development of relationship skills to make a home life more stable for families.
With the change of the name from Oklahoma Marriage Initiative to Project Relate also comes a change in focus. Reducing the number of divorces in Oklahoma is still a goal, but it is overshadowed by the mission to create a stable home for children and prevent families from sinking into poverty.
Kendy Cox is the director for Project Relate. She told the committee the organization is building a capability to address a variety of people and refine its services according to the latest research.
“Oklahoma has invested in the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative, and the research says that this investment pays off exponentially as families become more stable and need fewer artificial supports in the future,” Cox said.
The Oklahoma Marriage Initiative was originally established by Governor Frank Keating’s Administration in 1999. The mission then was to reduce divorce to help combat poverty in Oklahoma. Research indicated that focusing on reducing the divorce rate was impractical. The focus then changed to the other part of the equation, finding ways to strengthen families in hopes to avoid falling into poverty.
Cox cited two studies as evidence the program was working; a 2008 Institute for American Values study and a 2013 federal Family Relations report. The American Values study showed that increasing family stability by one percent can result in $43 million in savings for state government. Meanwhile, the 2013 report focused on Project Relate’s Family Expectation program and other similar programs. That report estimated about $129 million in annual savings from small percentage improvements in family stability. Family Expectations is one of Project Relate’s programs to help address problems of poverty, family instability, and child well-being.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Oklahoma’s poverty rate is above the national average. Oklahoma’s rate is 16.9 percent, compared to 15.4 percent nationwide. Oklahoma’s poverty rate was 16.6 percent in 2014, 16.8 percent in 2013, and 17.2 percent in 2012. During the years of the Great Recession, the poverty rate in Oklahoma was 15.9 percent in 2008 and 16.2 percent in 2009, below the 2015 figures.
While it is still up in the air if Project Relate’s preventative programs are having an impact on the state’s poverty level, the organization wants to begin addressing families in crisis situations next.
“We have been so focused on prevention throughout the years that we have not thought enough about the specific needs of couples in crisis,” Cox said. “Legislative efforts last session brought that idea to our attention and we now have begun offering forgiveness and reconciliation services.”
Representative Mark McCullough has spearheaded marriage and family stability efforts in the past. He also requested the study. He is pleased with what he heard from Project Relate.
“We heard today about the OMI’s continued success at providing pre-marital education to Oklahomans, a service that greatly improves a couple’s chances of marriage success,” said McCullough.
