History

Community Family Centers (formerly Chicano Family Center) was founded in 1972 by a small group of concerned citizens, working out of a church basement, who understood the need for a community-based social service and education agency able to provide a complete range of services to low-income families in the Houston’s East End. The CFC main service site as well as the early childhood education program facility is located in the East End’s Magnolia Park. This area of Houston is populated largely by low- to very low-income, working, Hispanic families with young children. CFC believes that through education, families living in poverty can transcend their circumstances and become responsible, productive adults. At the heart of CFC’s services for families is the overwhelming need to better address the root causes of poverty. Over 35% of the families in the area live below the federal poverty guidelines and about 60% have not finished high school, and over 35% either do not speak English or speak it poorly. From its humble beginnings as a small group of community volunteers, the organization has grown into an agency with a $3.5 million operating budget, 84 staff and a volunteer corps of more than 500.

Mission

The cornerstone of CFC’s mission is education.