A new report finds that last year alone family fragmentation cost $112 Billion in the United States. Now a local organization is trying to battle those numbers to save families. Anovia Braden - Single Parent, "I live paycheck to paycheck and some days are more difficult than others, but we manage." Anovia Braden is telling a familiar story for many single parents in Tennessee. Divorced after three years of marriage she says the finical impact, child support issues, and even health care concerns hurt the most. "(Braden) It affects everybody, it affects family. It put a strain on my mother when I had to move back in with her." The Institute for American Values says last year through Medicaid and other expenses Tennessee taxpayers paid $757 Million for Family Fragmentation. Julie Baumgardner - First Things First, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Its less painful, less costly in so many ways much better for people." Julie Baumgardner and the First Things First organization say this report serves as a wakeup call. "(Baumgardner) When people talk about being concerned about education, about healthcare costs, about economic development, about homelessness in our community, the root of all of this is what's happening in our homes." First Things First is calling on businesses, churches, faith-based organizations, and families to bolster strong families ties. Baumgardner says this report isn't a slam on divorced people and single parents, but it a sign that something has to be done. "(Baumgardner) For a long time people have said, 'you know, what happens in my bedroom, what happens in my home is my business.' Clearly with this report and with the other research we have it indicates it isn't a private affair. It impacts all of us in many ways including the pocket book." 
[0]
[1]