• Perspectives
• Joseph Jones

Joe Jones

“There are people who want to do the right thing. They want to do the right thing for their children, but they are so far behind the eight-ball that they don’t have any serious expectation that their life will ever be different from what it has always been. They may want do something better, they may even try, but the level of frustration in dealing with systems, and bureaucracy, and people’s low expectations of them, and the barriers and roadblocks that are put before them make it almost impossible and insurmountable for them to overcome the odds—especially for men of color.”

In order for us to improve the quality of life in Baltimore, we have to work within the context of the family, but we need to emphasize the inclusion of men and use strategies that help families move forward together in a unified way. The culture we’ve created at the Center for Urban Families allows people who live in some of the most disconnected and isolated communities to come here and feel they can trust us. They recognize that they’re not going to be viewed as a number, a statistic, even though they may have certain challenges with whom they are at this particular point.

We give particular attention to males, especially fathers, because they are one-half of the conceiving partnership that brings children into this world. And our social welfare delivery system, locally and nationally, has not been set up to recognize them, particularly as caregivers. Our children and our families suffer as a result of us not having a system or society that nurtures men. We give them the skills, the methodology, the language, the support, and the optimism to be successful. We give them more than hope. We give them a future.”

“There are people who want to do the right thing. They want to do the right thing for their children, but they are so far behind the eight-ball that they don’t have any serious expectation that their life will ever be different from what it has always been. We give them the skills, the methodology, the language, the support, and the optimism to be successful. We give them more than hope. We give them a future...”

Joe Jones is founder of The Center for Urban Families. Prior to founding CFUF (formerly called the Center for Fathers, Families and Workforce Development), Joe developed and directed the Men’s Services program for the federally funded Baltimore Healthy Start initiative and replicated the Baltimore affiliate of the nationally recognized STRIVE employment services program. His ability to engage and provide hands-on services to fathers garnered him the reputation of trailblazer in the field. Joe Jones is now a national leader in workforce development, fatherhood, and family services programming, and through his professional and civic involvement influences policy direction nationwide.

Joe has received numerous awards and honors for his leadership and programming, including the Johns Hopkins University Leadership Development Program’s Distinguished Leadership Award. He has also served on President Bill Clinton’s Work Group on Welfare Reform, was an advisor on fatherhood issues to Vice President Al Gore, and contributed to First Lady Laura Bush’s Helping America’s Youth initiative. He is a Weinberg Fellow and serves as a board member of Open Society Institute-Baltimore, the Development Training Institute, and several other professional, governmental, and civic organizations.

At the age of 50, he became a cum laude graduate of the University of Maryland Baltimore County. He is happily married and has three children.