Family Services of Western Pennsylvania has a long history of serving families and individuals in the southwestern Pennsylvania region, dating back to 1885. Our work is guided by our mission to “empower individuals to reach their full potential.” Over time our role in the community has expanded, and we presently provide more than 38 distinct programs for families and individuals in the categories of mental health, intellectual disabilities, vocational rehabilitation, child welfare, safety net, and older adult services. Currently the agency operates a budget of $26 million, with more than 450 employees, and serves more than 7,500 persons each year through a diverse range of services.
Our comprehensive services include licensed mental health and substance abuse programs, volunteer-based supports for older adults, residential services for persons with developmental and mental health disabilities, services for family members of incarcerated people, financial counseling, vocational and psychosocial rehabilitation, student assistance programs, and transitional youth programs. All of these services are designed to assist individuals in living the most productive lives possible to the benefit of the communities in which they live.
All of our services are developed in accordance with national service organizations, the Alliance for Children and Families, the United Way, the University of Pittsburgh and the Child Welfare League of America and are accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children. Certification by the Council on Accreditation means that Family Services meets the highest national standards for professional performance in human services.
Outpatient Mental Health Counseling for Children, Adolesents and Adults, Psychiatrist and Psychiatric Nursing Services, Drug and Alcohol Counseling, Mental Health Services, Student Assistance Program, Acute Partial Program, Psychiatric Rehabilitation, and Social Rehabilitation:
310 Central City Plaza
New Kensington, PA 15068
724-335-9883
Hours of Operation
Monday-Tuesday & Thursday – 8 AM TO 8 PM
Wednesday & Friday – 8 AM TO 5 PM
Rehabilitation Services, Community Based Vocational Training and Intellectual and Developmental Disability Residential Services:
104 Beta Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
412-447-0009
FSWP-NorthCo@fswp.org
Allegheny County Community Treatment Team, Rep Payee, Community Counseling, Ways to Work Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers, APPRISE, Reaching Out to Create Success (ROCS) and Families Outside:
6401 Penn Avenue, Second Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
412-661-1670
Outpatient Mental Health Counseling for Children, Adolescents, and Adults, Psychiatrist and Psychiatric Nursing Services, and Outpatient Substance Abuse Counseling Services:
321 East Fifth Avenue
Tarentum, PA 15084
724-226-0664
Hours of Operation
Monday-Wednesday & Friday – 8 AM TO 5 PM
Tuesday – 8 AM TO 8 PM
Thursday – 8 AM TO 7 PM
Saturday - 8 AM to 4 PM
Adolescent Diversion and Acute Stabilization, Adult Respite Services:
335 Fourth Avenue
Tarentum, PA 15084
724-226-0664
TTY: 724-226-4558
Service Coordination Services & Family Based Services:
414 Corbet Street
Tarentum, PA 15084
724-230-2777
TTY - 724-230-2776
In Home Family Based Service, Westmoreland County CORE, Mobil Supports Program, Ways to Work, Assertive Community Treatment Team & ParentWISE:
211 Huff Avenue, Suites 1& 2
Greensburg, PA 15601
724-834-7830ACTT - 724-552-4975
Administrative Office:
3230 William Pitt Way
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
Phone: 412-820-2050
Fax: 412-820-2060
FSWP@fswp.org
Highlands School District Children's Partial Hospitalization Program:
1350 Broadview Boulevard
Natrona Heights, PA 15065
724-226-0600 x 305
Olive Branch Drop-In Center:
215 Corbet Street
Tarentum, PA 15084
724-224-1600
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and some Saturdays. Hours may change due to seasonal need. Call for hours of operation.
Maverick Drop-In Center:
868 Fourth Avenue
New Kensington, PA 15068
724-334-2386
Hours: Monday through Friday and some Saturdays. Hours may change due to seasonal need. Call for hours of operation.
Giving Tree Drop-In Center
128 East Pittsburgh Street
Greensburg, PA 15601
724-552-0053
Hours: Monday through Friday. Hours may change due to seasonal need. Call for hours of operation.
Administrative Staff
President & Chief Executive Officer - Donald H. Goughler - 
Chief Operating Officer - Stephen Christian-Michaels -
Chief Financial Officer - Scott Simon -
Integrative Processes/Economic Empowerment Director – Karen Brannon, Ph.D. -
Development & Communications Director - Alyssa Cholodofsky, CFRE -
Human Resources Director – Robyn Guy, JD –
Rehabilitation Director - Jane Harper -
Community Partnership Programs Director, Maurice Heidish -
Intellectual Developmental Disabilities Residential Director, Will Stennett -
Outpatient Behavioral Health Services Director, Kathy Yarzebinski -
Research Director - Morgen Kelly, Ph.D. -
Community Operations Manager, D. L. Kowalski -
Information Technology Manager, Evelyn Newell -
Assistant Director Behavioral Health Services, Tina Zimmerman -
Assistant Director IDD Residential, Tracey McKinnon -
General Agency E-Mail Box-
History
Family Services of Western Pennsylvania was incorporated in 1948; however, the agency evolved from mergers of predecessor agencies that date back to 1885. The earliest parent of Family Services was the Western Pennsylvania Children’s Aid Society, founded in 1885 to provide care for children who were abandoned, orphaned or unable to be cared for by their natural parents. In essence, this agency created Western Pennsylvania’s first foster care program.
Another early predecessor was the Civic Club, originally called the Child Labor Committee, formed to protect children from exploitation and to develop social resources for children in the community. This group merged into an agency named Associated Charities in 1908 and formed its own Children’s Bureau in order to be more aggressive in addressing the broader societal issues that affected children in the early part of the century. Internal strife led the Children’s Bureau to split from Associated Charities in 1913 and join with other child advocates in forming the Children’s Aid Society of Allegheny County.
Associated Charities became known informally as the Family Welfare Association, then as the Family Society and later as the Family Service Association. It became an important provider of casework services during the Great Depression and was involved in training people for the field of Social Work. In the early 1930’s the agency joined with the Buhl Foundation and the Urban League in developing the School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh.
The Children’s Aid Society, Children’s Bureau and Associated Charities under its various names operated separately through the various movements and developments in social services for children and families that occurred in the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s until 1948, when they merged to form Family and Children’s Services of Allegheny County, later renamed Family Services of Western Pennsylvania. In the early 1950’s, the agency focused on bringing stability into the lives of children and families through casework, homemaker services, and foster care and adoption services. The 1952 Annual Report speaks of the agency’s effort to “turn impossibilities into possibilities”. This phrase became the theme of that document.
In its more recent history (since 1970), Family Services has remained a diversified agency, but has developed a particularly strong presence in the field of behavior health and counseling services. With the development of the Community Mental Health Act of 1965 and the successive state legislation in the Commonwealth, Family Services was named as Mental Health/Intellectual Disability services provider for the Allegheny Valley catchment area, serving both Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties. In 1969, this new program opened its first office in Tarentum with three staff members. As the 1970’s began, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania began to move people out of its state psychiatric hospitals and into the community. As a result, Family Services instituted a wide range of aftercare services for individuals leaving Torrance and Woodville State Hospitals. In addition, the agency began prevention programs and life skills groups for children in elementary and secondary schools and started Drug and Alcohol treatment and prevention services in the community. The Mental Health/Intellectual Disability division has become the agency’s biggest program.
In 1980 Family Services extended its family-oriented services to focus on families of people who were incarcerated in Pennsylvania prisons with the formation of the Families Outside program. This program provides transportation to allow families to visit the prisons as well as pre-release training in social adjustment and parenting skills. Also, during the 1980’s, the agency developed its partial hospitalization program, residential and intensive case management services, school based counseling, and a community based vocational program.
In the 1990’s and early 21st century Family Services has developed a substantial employee assistance program as well as clinical services to the Allegheny County Family Centers. Family Services also instituted in-home services, including counseling for families as well as psycho-social rehabilitation. Most recently, a consumer loan program, related to the Welfare to Work initiative, was established to aid people in moving successfully off the welfare rolls.
As an agency with a substantial history of development, Family Services is at another point of historical change in social services. Welfare, as it has existed for more than 60 years, has been eliminated. As a result, the agency is challenged with helping people become empowered without relying on the previously existing social safety net. Public funding for social services has declined significantly, so the agency is challenged to find sources of private revenues to enable growth.
Agency News
For our newest Family Affairs newsletter, please click here.
March 2012 is Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. For a calendar and description of upcoming events in Westmoreland County, please click here.
Council On Accrediation Recognizes Family Services; The Council On Accrediation (COA) recently recognized Family Services of Western Pennsylvania for outstanding Quality Improvement Initiative in 2011. The award is given only to those organizations that "have made a significant or outstanding Quality Improvement Initiative in 2011."
The Family Services initiative was for Outpatient Open Access at our Outpatient Behavioral Health clinic sites in New Kensington and Tarentum. The initiative seeks to improve access psychiatric serevices to individuals in the community. COA recognition states that "By demonstrating exceptional improvement initiatives in the management of quality, your organization affirms its ongoing commitment to enhancing organizational effectiveness and excellence for consumers and other stakeholders."
Outcomes
Since 2000, our agency has used a rigorous method of outcomes assessment that feeds directly into our Quality Improvement program and which collects and analyzes results. Outcomes are assessed through the collaborative efforts of the Research and Quality Improvement department (RQI) and agency programs. This team works together to determine appropriate measureable program outcomes, and to develop logic models for each program. Data collection forms are distributed to program participants by service providers for data collection at the program level and are returned to RQI for entry and analysis. Based on their results, programs develop yearly outcomes reports which are presented to internal and external audiences.
For a copy of our most recent Outcomes Report click here.
Board of Trustees
Family Services of Western Pennsylvania is governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees, made up of many of our region’s leaders and members of the communities served by our agency
| Chairperson | Rebecca S. Zukowski | |
| First Vice Chairperson | Dr. James Kelly | |
| Second Vice Chairperson | Nicholas Barcellona | |
| Treasurer | Don Carpenter | |
| Secretary | Pamela McCloud | |
| Assistant Treasurer | Philo Holcomb III | |
| Trustees | John Bettis III | Eugene J. Dickert |
| Hank Compernolle | Barbara Farina | |
| Carolyn Duronio | Paul Shetler Fast | |
| Terrell Jefferson | Emmanuel Ike | |
| Ken Lambert | Annmarie Lyons | |
| Jeanette J. Meachem | J. Lee O'Nan | |
| Gordy Opitz | Michael O’Toole | |
| Robert B. Schaub | Chloe’ Velasquez | |
| Emeritus Trustees | Floyd Cephas | Dr. Nancy Nelson |
| Jane Downing | Grant Scott III | |
| Dr. Audrey Murrell | ||
| Ex officio | Ed Kobeski | |
- Recipient of the 2008 Wishart Award for Excellence in Non Profit Management
- 2011 Behavioral Health Pacesetter Award (presented by the Annapolis Coalition in partnership with the Hitachi Foundation)
- Xcel Award (presented by the National Association of Case Management)
Our Annual Report
To read the agency Annual Report for 2010-11, click here .
Partners and Resources
Listed below are links to agencies that may assist you. This website contains links to other websites not owned or operated by Family Services of Western Pennsylvania. Family Services is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites and we advise you to check their privacy policies.
Westmoreland County United Way
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
National Council of Community Behavioral Health
National Institute of Mental Health
United Way of Allegheny County and Westmoreland County (contributors choice #66)