Community Empowerment Fund (CEF)

The Community Empowerment Fund (CEF) is working to end the racial wealth gap by supporting over 1,000 Members, annually, in reaching their employment, housing, and finance goals. CEF’s work is grounded in recognition of the detrimental impacts of systemic racism on Black and Brown members of our communities and we value the leadership of people with lived experiences with homelessness and poverty. CEF's mission is to cultivate opportunities, assets, and communities that support the alleviation of homelessness and poverty.

CEF creates a community of support to address issues related to economic justice, housing insecurity, and homelessness. CEF connects community Members with volunteer Advocates, trained in racial equity and trauma-informed care, to secure housing, gain employment, and build savings in order to increase assets and sustain transitions out of poverty. Members and Advocates work together to navigate the barriers to reaching those goals, while working toward systems-level changes, guided by Members' lived experiences of the complex social services landscapes of Durham and Orange County