Our Children Have Rights
By Jake Hornstein, Co-Founder & COO
Published in Paradise News Magazine September 2023
When Greg Hill became a father, he knew he would always want to be available to his son. Since Greg was not married to his son’s mother, under Florida law Greg had no legal rights to his child. After a series of unsuccessful legal outcomes while retaining attorneys Greg changed his approach. He represented himself in court, gained 50/50 custody, and achieved a successful co-parenting strategy.
In January 2021 Greg and I established a web-based nonprofit named Our Children Have Rights.Org (OCHR). OCHR focuses on children by helping parents more seamlessly navigate their child custody and co-parenting journeys, most often unexpectedly and unprepared. While we work directly with parents, the goal is to establish a successful co-parenting strategy and living environment that best positions the child(ren) to reach their full potential. Our direct services are NO COST to all parents regardless of demographics or parenting circumstances (single mothers/fathers unwed parents, married couples pursuing divorce).
Education is at the core of our work, addressing a specific need that is too common across our community. THE NEED: Better Prepared & Equipped Parents who, often unexpectedly, find themselves navigating these challenging and emotional circumstances. Our educational resources when used properly can minimize, or even eliminate the need for paid legal aid, saving parents valuable money and resources. Alternatively, when a parent seeks assistance identifying the right attorney given their circumstances, our legal aid navigation support guides them through that process as well.
Our direct services include NO COST consultations (Zoom, FaceTime, phone) and NO COST documentation review (parenting plans). We're proud that the scope of our work covers a wide range of human services. It’s a direct result of careful listening to parents who share with us the “ancillary challenges” they face while establishing custody through court. These roadblocks can include housing assistance, behavioral health, counseling, employment, and access to basic needs, among others. We address these challenges through a network of local program partners. Pinellas County Government, 211 Tampa Bay, Bay Area Legal Services, Feeding Tampa Bay, Gulf Coast JFCS, ClearPath Health, Hands Across The Bay, Florida KidCare, and many others.
Since its inception, OCHR has served over 20,000 parents, conducted no-cost consultations with 955 parents, and reviewed 419 parenting plans. We were recently recognized by AMPLIFY Clearwater celebrating a nonprofit that’s “Well on its way”. We even adopted Sand Key Park & Beach for volunteer opportunities in our community. Support of our mission is vital and we kindly ask you to consider a small financial contribution to our program.
For the second year in a row, Florida Healthy Kids Corporation has selected the organization as one of 10 statewide recipients of the Florida KidCare “Back to School” grant initiative ($6,500). Florida KidCare is the umbrella brand for the four government-sponsored health insurance programs - Medicaid, MediKids, Florida Healthy Kids, and the Children’s Medical Services (CMS) Health Plan - that together provide a seamless continuum of coverage for Florida children from birth through the end of age 18. Approximately 331,000 children in Florida do not have health and dental insurance. More than half of these children - 162,000 - are likely eligible for low-cost Florida KidCare coverage.
Most importantly, 1f you or someone you know, needs our assistance, we're here for you. We're on a mission ... a mission to protect the rights of children to have access to both responsible and involved parents by providing education, resources, and support services for successful co-parenting.
Why? Because Our Children Have Rights
