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Family Service Association of San Antonio

Family Service Association is a non-profit agency in San Antonio, Texas. Since 1903, Family Service Association has been “the family you can always count on.” It is the oldest human service agency in San Antonio dedicated to helping children, seniors, and families in need.

Mission

Helping individuals and families improve their lives and strengthen their communities.

Objectives

From six neighborhood locations and from 32 school campuses, Family Service Association provides services in English and Spanish to the residents of 11 counties of all ethnic and racial backgrounds and all socio-economic levels.

Some of Family Service Objectives are as follows

• Strive to bring schools and families together in support of the community’s children.
• Stop child abuse.
• End the cycle of poverty.
• Instill effective parenting skills.
• Help individuals learn to make wise, healthy life choices.
• Strengthen family relationships and marriages.
• Assist the elderly.

History

A century of service for the community of San Antonio

1903-1930's

In March, 1903, the doors of a revolutionary new social service agency opened in San Antonio for the first time. The Charity Association of San Antonio and Bexar County, predecessor of Family Service Association of San Antonio, Inc., was founded by a group of public-minded community leaders. Their goal was to provide financial assistance to poor and needy families and prevent their exploitation by unscrupulous individuals. During the following one hundred plus years of uninterrupted service, Family Service Association's objectives and methodologies have changed, but its commitment to its mission of strengthening families has remained constant.

1930's - 1950's

Family Service Association has grown and changed with the twentieth century itself. During the 1930's when the government took responsibility for providing direct financial assistance, private charities began meeting other challenges. For Family Service this was the development of social casework. By the 1950's, Family Service was providing high-quality, professional counseling services to the community of San Antonio.

1960's-1990's

By the mid 1970's, Family Service had identified another need in the community by establishing home-based services and group education for families. In the early 1990's, the agency began providing some much needed services like the first teen-led gang alternative group and implemented the largest Families and Schools Together program in the United States.

During its one hundred years in San Antonio, Family Service Association has also provided leadership in developing other needed services. In collaboration with other community leaders, Family Service helped to fund the local chapter of the American Red Cross . The agency also initiated the City’s Homemaker Department. In 1940, Family Service was a founder of a new federated fund raising group for private charities, the United Fund, known today as the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County.

Throughout Time

Four traits have always characterized Family Service Association: innovative programs, collaboration with others in the community, responsible fiscal management, and an abiding dedication to families. The vision of a handful of leaders in 1903 has impacted hundreds of thousands of lives during Family Service's many years of service. Today the programs of Family Service Association continue to support positive family values, respect the changing role of the family, and assist children, seniors, and families to deal effectively with their problems and challenges. Family Service Association remains a premier resource for San Antonio families.

Financials

Family Service Association is a private, non-profit, non-sectarian agency funded by the United Way, fee-for-service contracts with both public and private organizations, foundation and corporate grants, private contributions, client fees, and outpatient mental health insurance.

Fees are charged on a sliding scale, and no one is denied help because of their inability to pay the full cost of service.

Family Service Association is nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children and the Better Business Bureau.

Family Service Association believes in conservative fiscal management, and balanced budgets. Family Service routinely receives "clean" independent financial audits, and regular recognition by the United Way for outstanding management. In 1903 the agency's annual operating budget was $5,000. The 2009 budget of over $13,400,000 will provide social and early development and educational services for approximately 50,000 individuals & families.

Community Involvement

Family Services Association helps and supports 28 counties around the San Antonio area. Different programs are geared towards each community need.

• Helped over 5,500 children at risk for school failure, juvenile delinquency and substance abuse, and their families, on 32 school campuses, connecting families and schools to build self-esteem and resilience to negative social influences.
• Brought healing to more than 1,000 children victimized by abuse.
• Supported over 1,000 teens who took their anti-drug, anti-gang,positive lifestyle message to more than 1,000 peers in public schools.
• Launched 2,852 children in Head Start programs in 175 classrooms in 8 school districts to give them a healthy start in education and tools for lifetime success, while providing family support services to 6,178 children and families in 13 school districts.
• Enabled 670 children to spend quality time with a non-custodial parent through neutral exchange and supervised visitation.
• Addressed substance abuse issues with 200 troubled youth ages 12-17 through a collaborative therapy program.

Demographics Served

The demographics served according to the 2009 annual report lists

Population Age	Percentages
Under< 6	32%
6-17 yrs old	21%
18-20 yrs old	3%
21-56 yrs old	40%
55-64 yrs old	3%
65 yrs old and >	1%

Ethnicity Served:

Ethnicity	Percentages
Hispanic	76%
Anglo	12%
African American	10%
Other	2%

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References

<http://www.family-service.org/>

<http://www.family-service.org/history.htm/>

<http://www.family-service.org/documents/annual_report.pdf/>