FAMILY ADVOCACY
Rooted in Lived
Experience
HFAC’s advocacy grew from lived experience and from listening to fathers and families who often feel overwhelmed by systems they do not fully understand.
We believe every family deserves information, dignity, support, and a real opportunity to be heard.
Jerron Hurtt Sr. with Maryland Senator Nick Charles after testifying on SB 744 before the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.
Carl Snowden
Longtime Maryland civil rights activist and Convener of the Caucus of African American Leaders
Jerron’s conversation with Carl Snowden centered on the challenges facing Black men and fathers, the importance of stronger family support, and the need to create more pathways to stability, opportunity, and community leadership. These are the same concerns that shape HFAC’s advocacy for fathers and families.
OUR ADVOCACY
Information, Dignity,
and a Voice
Who it serves: Fathers, families, and the leaders and organizations that serve them
Too many parents walk into difficult situations without understanding the process, without knowing where to turn, and sometimes without feeling that their voice matters.
Our advocacy focuses on education, community awareness, legislative engagement, family support, and helping fathers better understand the systems that affect their children and families.
WHY ADVOCACY MATTERS
Systems Can Be Hard to Navigate
Most parents never expect to need help with a court process, an agency, or a crisis at home. When they do, the path is not always clear. These are some of the barriers fathers and families tell us about most often.
Understanding the Process
Court procedures, legal terms, forms, and paperwork can be confusing, especially for a parent going through it for the first time.
The Cost of Legal Help
Many fathers cannot afford an attorney and are left trying to figure out what to do on their own.
Time, Work, and Transportation
Getting to a hearing or meeting can mean missing a shift, losing pay, or finding a ride across town.
Knowing Where to Turn
Help often exists, but families do not always know where to find it or who they can trust.
Asking for Help
Many men were taught to handle everything alone. Reaching out can feel uncomfortable, and isolation can make a hard season even harder.
Stress, Conflict, and Starting Over
Family conflict, emotional stress, and reentry after incarceration can all affect a parent’s stability and a child’s well-being.
For Black fathers and fathers in underserved communities, these challenges can be compounded by stereotypes and assumptions that do not reflect the many fathers who are showing up for their children every day.
OUR STORY
“My pain became my passion.”
Founder: Jerron Hurtt Sr.
A deeply personal family experience brought years of navigating legal, financial, emotional and practical challenges. He learned firsthand what it feels like to need help and not know where it will come from.
“There were times when I did not need another conversation about the importance of fathers. I needed someone to listen. I needed guidance. I needed resources.”
That experience became a lasting commitment to helping other fathers and families find information, support, and a voice.
Jerron Hurtt Sr. at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
WHAT WE DO
How HFAC Advocates for Families
Our advocacy centers on education, understanding, and constructive engagement with the systems and people that affect families.
Legislative Education
We follow issues affecting fathers, children, and families, and help community members understand how proposed policies may affect them.
Public Testimony and Civic Participation
We take part in hearings, forums, and meetings where families can share lived experience. HFAC founder Jerron Hurtt Sr. has testified on SB 744 before the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.
Father and Family Education
We help fathers understand available resources, common processes and terminology, and where to seek appropriate professional help.
Community Conversations
We bring fathers, families, policymakers, service providers, and community leaders together to hear from one another.
Connecting Families to Resources
When a need falls outside HFAC’s scope, we work to connect fathers and families with appropriate community resources.
Please note: HFAC provides education, advocacy, and resource connections. We do not provide legal representation or legal advice.
OUR APPROACH
This Is About Families
This work is not about fathers versus mothers, and it is not about one parent winning. Family situations can be complicated, and every family’s circumstances are different.
What matters most is that children have healthy, safe, and meaningful relationships with the people who love and support them whenever circumstances allow. Mothers deserve support, children deserve stability, and fathers should not be left to figure everything out alone.
HFAC supports stronger families, responsible fatherhood, healthier communication, and systems that treat every family with dignity.
Jerron Hurtt Sr. with Christina Rello, Maryland Senator Nick Charles, Brian Fitzgerald, and Maryland parents with lived experience, connected through family advocacy.
Jerron Hurtt Sr. with Marilyn Pierre, Aubrey Edwards-Luce, and Dr. Kenya Malone at the Viral 4 A Vision event.
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
A Broader Network
of Support
Marilyn Pierre
Family law and immigration attorney who works with families navigating complex legal issues.
Aubrey Edwards-Luce
Executive Director of the Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC) at the University of Baltimore School of Law.
Dr. Kenya Malone
Financial literacy educator and WOLB 1010 AM radio personality.
Families rarely face only one challenge. Legal questions, financial stability, employment, mental health, and family relationships often overlap. HFAC is building relationships with professionals and community leaders who bring different areas of knowledge and experience to the table.
POLICY AND COMMUNITY
Building Understanding Together
Better policies and better services start with better understanding. HFAC welcomes conversations with the people who shape and serve family systems.
We welcome conversations with:
Legislators, including members of the Black Caucus
Community leaders and family-serving organizations
Universities and legal and family-service professionals
Workforce and mental health organizations
Fathers and families with lived experience