The Center for Urban Families (CFUF) was formerly known as the Center for Fathers, Families and Workforce Development. In 2007, we changed our name to more accurately reflect our integrated approach to connecting men and women to career paths and strong family models.
CFUF was founded in 1999 by Joseph T. Jones, Jr. in order to provide parenting and workforce development services to low-income fathers. In 1993, while working as a Baltimore City Health Department social worker, Joe recognized that there were few resources available for fathers. This lack of resources inspired him to create the Men’s Services program under the auspices of the Baltimore City Health Department’s Healthy Start program. Joe saw that the participating fathers were committed, but lacked the skills to provide for their children.
Men’s Services helped the fathers to reconnect with their families, find employment, resolve child support issues, overcome addiction, and learn parenting skills.
Beginning in 1998, Healthy Start introduced a three-week job training program, STRIVE Baltimore, which provided an innovative employment strategy for the hard-to-employ fathers enrolled in Men’s Services. Former City Health Commissioner, Dr. Peter Beilenson, and the Board of Directors of Baltimore City Healthy Start encouraged Jones’ interest in offering intensive services for fathers.
Central to CFUF's mission is the belief that men—the most disconnected and underserved citizens in urban communities—who connect with women, their children, and the workplace are key to the restoration of stability and optimism.
In 1999, with the blessing of Commissioner Beilenson and the City, as well as the encouragement and financial support of Bob Embry and the Abell Foundation, Joe founded CFUF. The organization’s first initiatives, the Men’s Services Responsible Fatherhood program (now the Baltimore Responsible Fatherhood Project) and the STRIVE Baltimore Employment Training program, met with success.
In 2005, CFUF established the Baltimore Building Strong Families program, a national initiative designed to assist couples with children between the ages of 0-3 months in developing the communication, conflict resolution, parenting, and life management skills necessary to develop and maintain healthy relationships.
Click here for CFUF's full history.
Learn more about CFUF's programs here.