Family Counseling Agency history

Family Foundations, originally Family Counseling Services, was founded in 1955 by the Junior League, United Way and the Jewish Welfare League to provide marriage and family counseling to low-income families.

Family Counseling Services joined the Alliance for Children and Families in 1959, becoming part of the nation’s largest association of family service agencies.

Since 1970 there has been a 50-fold increase in the number of marriage and family therapists.

With these expanded services, the agency sought and received accreditation by the Council on Accreditation in 1977, becoming one of only five agencies in Jacksonville with such credentials.

In 1984, at the request of the United Way, our Board of Directors approved a merger with the local Consumer Credit Counseling Services.

In 1986, The Family Center became affiliated with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, and began assisting individuals and families in the areas of money management, credit, debt repayment, and homeownership.

In 1993, Family Counseling Services was approved by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development as a Housing Counseling agency.

The Family Center partnered with the IRS in 2004 and became a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) center, providing low-income families with free tax assistance and e-filing of tax returns.

In 2005, the agency was approved by the Executive Office of the United States Trustees to provide bankruptcy counseling and education.