Providing resources to stabilize families & prevent separation.

Family service centers provide free community-based services to help families in crisis and to ensure their children remain safe in their homes. We provide an assessment of needs, counseling, parenting-skills workshops, anger management training, assistance with obtaining benefits, referrals for additional resources, advocacy for educational needs, and help with navigating systems and resources for legal, medical, employment, housing and immigration.

The Solution Based Casework Model ensures that families are able to provide input and come up with an action plan with our staff. Success is more likely when families feel like the agreed to plan was developed with them in mind. We also find success by being flexible to those we support. Wide-ranging hours of operation combined with the ability to accommodate office, home and virtual visits keeps families engaged with Heartshare St. Vincent's Family Services from initial meeting to successful case closure. Our ability to provide either bilingual staff or translation services allows us to accommodate more New Yorkers in need, including, but not limited to undocumented families and/or those without insurance.

Heartshare has three preventive programs, serving all families in need throughout all of New York City.

We want youth to avoid entering the foster care system, and we want families to remain whole — and thrive. Preventive Services are a crucial piece is achieving these goals. By providing a trauma-informed approach we are able to engage families and develop a service plan that families then buy into. Because of our services we see a clear reduction of reports regarding allegations of abuse and neglect.

We have dedicated and motivated staff who provide much needed support to the families we serve. We assist families with finding resources to address all their needs and monitor that they follow up with the referrals provided.