Agency History

100 years of building brighter futures

 

From the beginning

Since 1921, Oakland Family Services has recognized that sometimes families face challenges they cannot resolve on their own.

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In the years since then, times have changed and families are struggling with problems that require professional support, guidance and services. More and more families are dealing with day care, parenting issues, family and work stress. Substance abuse, family violence, child abuse, divorce, death and a host of other problems contribute to feelings of loneliness and confusion.

Oakland Family Services remains committed to providing a wealth of programs for individuals and families in our community.

MORE THAN 100 YEARS OF BUILDING BRIGHTER FUTURES

We remain committed to building brighter futures, since the day our doors opened.

 

Year by Year

  • Michigan Children’s Aid Society Oakland Branch (original name of the agency) is founded to serve children without homes but later includes services to children in their homes.

  • Royal Oak Family Services is founded primarily to provide financial resources to families as a supplement to public resources. This was later called the Family Services Society of Southern Oakland County.

  • Family Service Center for Pontiac, Bloomfield and Birmingham was formed as an outgrowth of services at Christ Church Cranbrook. It is formed to provide more substantive services for families already being served by volunteers through family visiting, giving clothing and supplementary aid.

  • Family Services Society of Southern Oakland County and Family Service Center of Pontiac, Bloomfield and Birmingham merge to become Family Services of Oakland County. 

  • This combined agency in turn merges with the Children's Aid Society-Oakland Branch to form the present Oakland Family Services. 

  • The agency is first licensed by the Oakland County Department of Social Services to provide adoption services for children.

  • The agency’s name is changed to Oakland Family Services. The current Pontiac location, a former Elk’s Temple, is purchased and renovated with the help of a capital campaign, which lasted until 1989. Further expansion of the building's basement, a former bowling alley, occurred during this time as well.

  • The newly renovated building is occupied by staff who had been using multiple offices throughout the area.

  • The Children’s Learning Center is funded at the Pontiac location.

  • Rochester Counseling Associates, a division of Oakland Family Services, is opened to provide mental health and substance abuse treatment for Rochester Hills and surrounding communities. 

  • The Fussy Baby program begins at Oakland Family Services.

  • Oakland Family Services acquires the Farmington Area Advisory Council, a 25-year-old organization that specialized in substance abuse treatment and prevention services.

  • The Project Recovery Intensive Services for Mothers (PRISM) Program is launched.

  • Oakland Family Services proudly dedicates its Pewabic tile donor wall, recognizing top donors from 1995-2004.

  • The agency dedicates its 44,000-square-foot facility in Pontiac and the “Harris Center for Children and Families” in honor of Mort and Brigitte Harris for their unwavering support of Oakland Family Services.

  • Oakland Family Services, Macomb Family Services and Family Service, Inc. of Detroit and Wayne County enter into a Memo of Understanding creating the Family Service Alliance for Southeastern Michigan (Alliance). The Alliance is created to form a regional response to the behavioral health challenges in the tri-county area. 

  • The Board of Directors adopts a new mission statement: “Providing individuals and families the opportunity to build brighter futures.”

  • The Specialized Services for Youth Program begins with funding from the Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority.

    Oakland Family Services enters into a partnership with Oakland Integrated Health Network to provide an integrated health clinic at the Pontiac location.

  • Oakland Family Services launches the Before 3 to Succeed early childhood initiative, in order to identify children ages 0-3 experiencing developmental delays, routing them to helpful free services, and to promote the importance of brain development in children.

  • Oakland Family Services opens its second Children’s Learning Center in Walled Lake.