What Black Family Development does

Centers for Family Development, Inc., operating as Black Family Development (also DBA Centers for Family Development / CFDI), is a Detroit-based non-profit comprehensive family counseling agency founded in 1978 that delivers behavioral health and family services across Wayne County, Michigan. The organization is structured around seven programmatic pillars: Community Development (Hope Mobile Outreach, Restorative Practices, Community Engagement); Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Physical Health (including CCBHC services and Wraparound); R.E.A.L Brothers mentorship; Juvenile Justice (Prevention, Diversion, Reentry, Adjudicated Youth support); Early Childhood (LENA Start, Project Launch, Parents As Teachers); Family Preservation (Intake/Resources, Parenting Time, Community Partners); and School-Based Services (Prevention and Treatment). Service delivery occurs through two physical offices (the Administrative Office at 2995 E. Grand Blvd and the Samaritan Center at 5555 Conner Ave. Ste 1038), a 24/7 on-call mobile health team, and direct in-school programming, with a digital "Hope is Here" portal providing self-administered GAD-7, PHQ-9, and DAST-10 screenings that route users into appropriate services.

The organization's revenue model is not transactional — services are provided at no direct cost to clients and funded through multi-year contracts with government and Medicaid managed care payors (notably DWIHN, the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network), supplemented by grants and individual/corporate donations via GiveButter and Classy. Pricing to end users is effectively zero, with billing occurring at the payor and donor level. The go-to-market motion is community-led: clients access services through walk-in intake, phone referrals, school partnerships, and community center touchpoints, with earned media (Detroit Free Press, Hour Detroit, Detroit is Different Podcast, Black Fridays Podcast) and annual events (Hope & Healing Gala) supporting awareness. Leadership comprises Kenyatta Stephens (CEO) and LaTonya Shelton (COO); the organization is CARF International accredited and operates a CCBHC, signaling compliance with both quality and integrated-care standards.

The technology stack is modest but functional. The proprietary "Hope is Here" portal (hopeishere.blackfamilydevelopment.org) delivers standardized clinical screening instruments — GAD-7 (anxiety), PHQ-9 (depression), DAST-10 (substance use), and a Universal Check-in — that produce automated routing recommendations based on user responses. These are deterministic, evidence-based clinical assessments rather than AI/ML systems; no AI modalities, proprietary models, or advanced data pipelines are disclosed. The organization has no native mobile app, no public API/SDK, and no disclosed integrations beyond the DWIHN relationship, and the technology surface area appears designed for low-friction community access rather than technology differentiation. Operating scale is mid-sized (51–100 employees) and concentrated entirely within Wayne County, with no disclosed expansion beyond the Detroit metropolitan area.

Name

Black Family Development

Legal name

Centers for Family Development, Inc.

Website

https://blackfamilydevelopment.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Black Family Development (Centers for Family Development, Inc.) is a Detroit-based, CARF-accredited non-profit founded in 1978 that delivers mental health, substance abuse, juvenile justice, early childhood, and family preservation services across Wayne County, Michigan, funded primarily through DWIHN Medicaid managed care contracts and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Behavioral Health and Family Counseling Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Other Individual and Family Services (62419), Child and Youth Services (62411), Child Care Services (6244)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Maternal, Child & Family Health Organizations (BPAGACAF), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK), Family Engagement & Caregiver Support Programs (SEL/Mental Health) (EDAKAMAK), Family & Parenting Education (Family Literacy, Parenting Skills) (EDAAAFAF)

Keywords

• Family counseling services
• Mental health services
• Substance abuse treatment
• Community outreach programs
• Juvenile justice prevention

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts / Managed Care: Services funded through contracts with DWIHN (Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network), a Medicaid managed care organization providing behavioral health services in Wayne County, Michigan.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Black Family Development is a non-profit comprehensive family counseling agency that delivers mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, family preservation, juvenile justice diversion and reentry, early childhood development, community-based restorative practices, and school-based services across seven programmatic pillars in the Detroit/Wayne County area. Services are accessed free of charge by clients, with funding flowing through multi-year DWIHN Medicaid managed care contracts, grants, and donations, and are delivered through offices, a 24/7 mobile health team, school-based sites, and the Hope is Here digital check-in portal.

Product overview

Black Family Development operates as a non-profit comprehensive family counseling agency organized around 7 Pillars: Community Development (Hope Mobile Outreach, Restorative Practices, Community Engagement), Mental Health/Substance Abuse/Physical Health (Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse, CCBHC/Physical Health, Wraparound Services), R.E.A.L Brothers (Mentorship & Advocacy), Juvenile Justice (Prevention, Diversion, Reentry, Adjudicated Youth), Early Childhood (LENA Start, Project Launch, Parents As Teachers), Family Preservation (Intake/Resources, Parenting Time, Community Partners), and School Based Services. The organization also offers a digital product called the Hope is Here Portal, a mental health check-in platform providing self-service assessments for anxiety, depression, and substance use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mental Health Services Comprehensive mental health counseling and treatment services for individuals and families in the Detroit area, accessible via the main office intake or the 24/7 mobile health team.
• Substance Abuse Services Counseling and treatment services addressing substance use disorders for community members in Detroit and Wayne County.
• CCBHC / Physical Health Services Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic services integrating physical health with behavioral health care for clients.
• Wraparound Services Intensive, individualized support services for families in crisis, coordinated across multiple service domains.
• Hope Mobile Outreach Mobile outreach services delivering hope and support to the community anywhere in the service area, available 24/7 through the on-call mobile health team hotline at 1-844-SEE-HOPE.
• Restorative Practices Community development program focused on restorative justice practices for resolving harm and strengthening community relationships.
• Community Engagement Initiatives designed to build and strengthen community partnerships and involvement in Detroit neighborhoods.
• R.E.A.L Brothers Mentorship and advocacy program serving youth in the Detroit community, framed as Pillar 3 of the agency's service model.
• Juvenile Justice Programs Comprehensive juvenile justice services including Prevention, Diversion, Reentry, and support for Adjudicated Youth and Their Families across Wayne County.
• Early Childhood Programs Programs including LENA Start, Project Launch, and Parents As Teachers, focused on early childhood development for Detroit-area families.
• Family Preservation Services Family preservation services including Intake/Community Resources, Parenting Time Visitation, and Building Community Partners programming.
• School Based Services Educational support services including Prevention and Treatment programs delivered directly inside schools in the Detroit service area.
• Parenting Groups Parenting classes and family support groups for Detroit-area parents.
• Youth Programs Youth development programs aimed at supporting young people in the community.
• Hope is Here Portal Digital mental health and well-being check-in portal offering self-service assessments including Universal Check-in, GAD-7 Anxiety, PHQ-9 Depression, and DAST-10 Substance Use screenings, with recommendations for follow-up steps and resources.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DWIHN (Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDWIHN is a Michigan managed care organization providing behavioral health services. CFDI is a DWIHN member organization providing services to recipients in Wayne County. The partnership includes access to DWIHN's Office of Recipient Rights and crisis services, and participation in DWIHN's member engagement programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Starfish Family Services: Inkster, Michigan-based nonprofit serving metro Detroit with mental health, child welfare, early childhood, and family preservation programs. Comparable scale and comprehensive family services model in the same regional market.
• Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit: Detroit nonprofit providing mental health, family counseling, and suicide prevention services. Comparable Detroit-area family services nonprofit that has even partnered with CFDI on suicide prevention programming.
• Southwest Counseling Solutions: Detroit-based nonprofit behavioral health and human services agency serving families, children, and adults across Wayne County. Directly comparable as a Detroit nonprofit providing mental health, substance abuse, and family support services with similar funding sources.
• Development Centers: Detroit-based nonprofit providing mental health, early childhood, juvenile justice, and family preservation services through community-based programs. Highly comparable operating model, geography, and service mix to Black Family Development.
• Ennis Center for Children: Michigan-based nonprofit serving children, youth, and families with behavioral health, juvenile justice, and child welfare services. Comparable service mix with strong overlap in juvenile justice prevention/diversion and family preservation.
• Child & Family Services of Michigan: Michigan-wide nonprofit providing foster care, adoption, mental health, and family preservation services. Comparable nonprofit operating in similar child welfare and family service categories with state-level contracts.
• Hegira Programs: Western Wayne County behavioral health nonprofit providing mental health and substance abuse services. Comparable Michigan-based nonprofit behavioral health provider serving similar populations through Medicaid-funded contracts.
• Community Living Services: Detroit-based nonprofit serving individuals with developmental disabilities and families through case management and support services. Comparable Detroit nonprofit with overlapping family support and social service delivery model.
• The Children's Center (Detroit): Wayne County nonprofit providing behavioral health, child welfare, juvenile justice, and early childhood services to children and families. Direct Detroit peer operating CCBHC services and family preservation programs.

Regional players

• CareFirst Community Health Services: Detroit-area FQHC and behavioral health provider offering integrated primary care and mental health services. Comparable CCBHC-aligned service model in overlapping Wayne County geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BFDIDetroit
• Facebookfacebook.com/bfdi.inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Black Family Development