Family Service of Philadelphia.

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The Philadelphia Society for Organizing Charitable Relief and Repressing Mendicancy took root in 1878 when a group of Philadelphians, many of them involved with the city's soup societies, met to discuss the problems of poverty and street begging. In 1879 the society was officially formed. Its major goals were to ameliorate the condition of the "worthy poor" and to coordinate the relief efforts of the many independent charities in the city. Shortly after its inception, the name was changed to the Philadelphia Society for Organizing Charity (PSOC). It was one of the earliest charity organization societies in the United States and provided material relief for thousands of families and individuals. In 1925, following a decade of financial hardship, the name was changed again to the Family Society of Philadelphia. At this point the society began emphasizing counseling, rather than material relief. In 1950 it was renamed Family Service of Philadelphia (FSP). Throughout the latter part of the twentieth century the organization provided education, counseling, and other human services to low income Philadelphians. In 2000, after decades of striving to overcome financial obstacles and adapting its services to meet the shifting needs of the people it served, FSP closed.

From the description of Family Service of Philadelphia records, 1878-1999, bulk 1878-1916. (Historical Society of Pennsylvania). WorldCat record id: 61834401

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Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Family Service of Philadelphia. Family Service of Philadelphia records, 1878-1999, bulk 1878-1916. Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Baily, Joshua L. 1826-1916. person
associatedWith Biddle, Constance. person
associatedWith Buffalo Charity Organization Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Children's Aid Society of Pennsylvania. corporateBody
associatedWith Community Council of Philadelphia. corporateBody
associatedWith Kellogg, Charles D. person
associatedWith Kellogg, D. O. b. 1837. person
associatedWith Lee, Porter R. 1879-1939. person
associatedWith Libbey, Betsey, 1887-1972. person
associatedWith Little, Riley M. person
associatedWith Newbold, John S. person
associatedWith Ormsby, Ralph. person
associatedWith Pennsylvania Child Labor Association. corporateBody
associatedWith Philadelphia Society for Organizing Charity. corporateBody
associatedWith Rauch, Julia B. (Julia Battin), b. 1935. person
associatedWith Richmond, Mary E. 1861-1928. person
associatedWith Russell Sage Foundation. corporateBody
associatedWith Snyder, Helen Zahniser. person
associatedWith Social Workers Club of Philadelphia. corporateBody
associatedWith Survey (New York, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith United Charities of Chicago. corporateBody
associatedWith United Charities of Hazleton. corporateBody
associatedWith United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania. corporateBody
associatedWith Welfare Federation of Philadelphia. corporateBody
associatedWith Wood, Elizabeth. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
Philadelphia (Pa.)
Subject
Absentee fathers
Alcoholism
Charities
Children with disabilities
City children
Elberfeld system
Family counseling
Family life
Federations, Financial (Social service)
Homelessness
Human services
Hygiene
Immigrants
Influenza Epidemic, 1918-1919
Older people with disabilities
Paraprofessionals in social service
Poor
Poverty
Public welfare
Runaway husbands
Single mothers
Swindlers and swindling
Temperance
Transient, Relief of
Unemployed
World War, 1914-1918
Women in charitable work
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945
Occupation
Activity

Corporate Body

Active 1878

Active 1999

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