We are the Center for Urban Families.
- A leading voice in the national conversation on responsible fatherhood.
- A support network for Baltimore’s most vulnerable citizens.
- A staunch advocate for child support reform in Maryland.
- A provider of experiences, skills, and information to practitioners who seek to strengthen families with low-incomes.
Our core mission is to strengthen urban communities by helping fathers and families achieve stability and economic success.
Addressing Our City’s Most Pressing Issues
Since our founding in 1999, CFUF has remained at the forefront of addressing some of our city’s most pressing issues, including poverty, unemployment, father-absence, and family disintegration. We maintain an unwavering focus on addressing the key challenges of Baltimore’s urban families by working to connect fathers to their children, creating opportunities for economic and financial security through work, and providing access to other key interventions and supportive services.
Restoration in Baltimore
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. Consistent with this mission, our organizational goal is to assist individuals in regaining the personal power needed to benefit their families and communities.
32,000+ Baltimoreans Served
Since 1999, CFUF has served over 32,000 vulnerable Baltimoreans, providing the bridge that many have needed to attain stability, while emerging as a leader in the national conversation on responsible fatherhood and black male achievement. Today, we’ve grown to serve more than 1,400 men and women a year, securing over 4,876 full time jobs for them upon completion of the workforce development initiative.
(Verified as of 11/20/2022)
All In—Our Comprehensive Approach
CFUF works with 1,400 men and women each year through comprehensive program offerings that are designed to help individuals and families attain and sustain economic self-sufficiency.
All In is the Center for Urban Families’ comprehensive strategy to accelerate social and economic opportunity and advocate for policies that promote equity and racial justice. Leveraging 20 years of positive impact and applied learnings, the All In strategy targets two critical areas: chronic unemployment and family instability. The approach links individual accountability, person-centered case management, and supportive networks with workforce development training, education, and civic engagement. All In dismantles poverty and builds long-term social and economic prosperity that results in brighter futures for our members, their families, and the communities in which they live.
Five-Year Strategic Plan
In 2019, we launched ALL In, as our service delivery model, to dismantle poverty in Baltimore. Since its launch, we have sought to better understand the organizational implications associated with achieving this vision for our members.
In February of 2021, CFUF engaged Wellspring Consulting to lead a strategic planning process to define the programmatic components of ALL In; address programmatic gaps;ensure alignment and integration across programs; and clarify needed organizational and financial requirements (e.g. staff, infrastructure, funding). The strategic plan builds on our deep commitment and connection to community; our knowledge and distinctive experience working with men and fathers; and our commitment to equity, and racial and economic justice. The plan charts the course for our next five years of supporting members to achieve social and economic mobility.