Family Service Agency of San Francisco.

Family Service Agency was founded in 1889 as Associated Charities, the first general, nonsectarian relief organization in San Francisco. It began as a charity organization society, coordinating with individual charities that provided direct relief and itself providing immediate temporary relief to families, while working to raise standards amongst all charities. From 1901 until her death in 1940, Associated Charities was directed by Katharine (Kitty) Felton, who organized what has become the modern-day foster care system. In 1903, she established the Children's Agency as a branch of Associated Charities. The Children's Agency advocated for children and adolescents by investigating and working to change conditions in orphan and foundling asylums and by placing babies and children in foster homes. In 1908, the babies of the San Francisco Foundling Asylum were placed under its supervision, and foster homes supplanted the asylum for infant care of abandoned babies. As a result, infant mortality rate was cut from nearly 60% down to 3.28% by 1913, eventually dropping to less than 1%. During the 1906 earthquake and fire, Associated Charities was temporarily merged with the Red Cross to provide disaster relief, working directly to feed and house residents. In June 1907, Associated Charities was re-established as a separate agency but continued doing relief work. Besides resuming its pre-earthquake duties, it conceived and coordinated the effort to convert refugee shacks to permanent housing and transport them from public squares to individual lots that residents leased or bought on installment. During the Depression, administration and funding of relief work and social work began to shift from private organizations to public agencies, and over the next two decades, the mission and scope, as well as the name, of Associated Charities fluctuated and shifted accordingly. In 1932, Associated Charities changed its name to Citizen's Agency for Social Welfare to reflect its increasing role as a social welfare agency rather than a charity. In 1933, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) required that federal and state funds be spent by public rather than private agencies; as a result, Citizen's Agency for Social Welfare continued to provide food relief, employment, and foster care placement as a contractor to the government. In 1934, the Board of the former Associated Charities reorganized as the Children's Agency. In 1938, the Family Service Agency was established as a separate organization, funded for its first 18 months by a grant from the Rosenberg Foundation and thenceforth funded by the Community Chest. Its purpose was to diagnose and treat short-term family problems. In 1945, the Children's Agency and the Family Service Agency merged to become the Family and Children's Agency, with a new administrative program for finding foster homes, closer cooperation with the juvenile court, and integration of children's work with family service work. In 1949, children's services, foster care, and relief became part of the Department of Public Welfare, and in 1950, Family and Children's Agency discontinued its foster care and adoption programs. During the 1950s, the agency reorganized and shifted its focus from relief work and foster care to family counseling and advocacy. In March 1958, the organization's name changed again to its current name, Family Service Agency of San Francisco. In the 1960s, under the leadership of Executive Director Richard B. Rogers, Family Service Agency became more politically and socially active, taking positions on housing, poverty, juvenile justice, and other issues. It also invited direct participation of clients and community members in developing and running agency programs.The 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s saw the introduction of a variety of new programs and services targeting multiple populations and issues, including infant care, child and sexual abuse, mental illness, people with disabilities, children and senior services, as well as outreach to specific ethnic and social communities, including Japanese Americans and gay men and lesbians.

From the description of Family Service Agency of San Francisco records, 1869-2004. (San Francisco Public Library). WorldCat record id: 757864108

Administrative History

Family Service Agency was founded in 1889 as Associated Charities, the first general, nonsectarian relief organization in San Francisco. It began as a charity organization society, coordinating with individual charities that provided direct relief and itself providing immediate temporary relief to families, while working to raise standards amongst all charities.

From 1901 until her death in 1940, Associated Charities was directed by Katharine (Kitty) Felton, who was the driving force in the establishment of social welfare institutions and standards in social work practice, promoting cooperation among local private organizations and government agencies at the state and local levels. She was instrumental in creating the Charities Endorsement Committee (1902), a forerunner to the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce; the Juvenile Court (1903); the State Board of Charities (1903), a forerunner to the State Department of Social Welfare; and the Community Chest (1922),a forerunner to the United Way and the United Bay Area Crusade. She also organized what has become the modern-day foster care system, advocating for placement of babies and children with private families instead of in institutions.

In 1903, the Children's Agency was established as a branch of Associated Charities. The Children's Agency advocated for children and adolescents by investigating and working to change conditions in orphan and foundling asylums and by placing babies and children in foster homes. In 1908, the babies of the San Francisco Foundling Asylum were placed under its supervision, and foster homes supplanted the asylum for infant care of abandoned babies. As a result, infant mortality rate was cut from nearly 60% down to 3.28% by 1913, eventually dropping to less than 1 %.

During the 1906 earthquake and fire, Associated Charities was temporarily merged with the Red Cross to provide disaster relief, working directly to feed and house residents. In June 1907, Associated Charities was re-established as a separate agency but continued doing relief work. Besides resuming its pre-earthquake duties, it conceived and coordinated the effort to convert refugee shacks to permanent housing and transport them from public squares to individual lots that residents leased or bought on installment.

During the Depression, administration and funding of relief work and social work began to shift from private organizations to public agencies, and over the next two decades, the mission and scope—as well as the name—of Associated Charities fluctuated and shifted accordingly. In 1932, Associated Charities changed its name to Citizen's Agency for Social Welfare to reflect its increasing role as a social welfare agency rather than a charity. In 1933, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) required that federal and state funds be spent by public rather than private agencies; as a result, Citizen's Agency for Social Welfare continued to provide food relief, employment, and foster care placement as a contractor to the government. In 1934, the Board of the former Associated Charities reorganized as the Children's Agency. In 1938, the Family Service Agency was established as a separate organization, funded for its first 18 months by a grant from the Rosenberg Foundation and thenceforth funded by the Community Chest. Its purpose was to diagnose and treat short-term family problems. In 1945, the Children’s Agency and the Family Service Agency merged to become the Family and Children’s Agency, with a new administrative program for finding foster homes, closer cooperation with the juvenile court, and integration of children’s work with family service work. In 1949, children's services, foster care, and relief became part of the Department of Public Welfare, and in 1950, Family and Children's Agency discontinued its foster care and adoption programs. During the 1950s, the agency reorganized and shifted its focus from relief work and foster care to family counseling and advocacy. In March 1958, the organization's name changed again to its current name, Family Service Agency of San Francisco.

In the 1960s, under the leadership of Executive Director Richard B. Rogers, Family Service Agency became more politically and socially active, taking positions on housing, poverty, juvenile justice, and other issues. It also invited direct participation of clients and community members in developing and running agency programs.

The 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s saw the introduction of a variety of new programs and services targeting multiple populations and issues, including infant care, child and sexual abuse, mental illness, people with disabilities, children and senior services, as well as outreach to specific ethnic and social communities, including Japanese Americans and gay men and lesbians.

Sources:

Associated Charities of San Francisco. The Associated Charities of San Francisco: Annual Reports, 1904-1910. San Francisco: Blair-Murdock Co., [1911?] Burton, Jean. Katharine Felton and Her Social Work in San Francisco . Stanford University, Calif.: J.L. Delkin, 1947. Family Service Agency of San Francisco website, "History and Facts," http://www.fsasf.org/abt_historyfacts.html (Accessed 01-24-2011).

From the guide to the Family Service Agency of San Francisco Records, 1869-2010, (San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library)