The St. Petersburg short-term residential facility (SafePlace2B) yesterday (1978) and today.

We were founded in 1970 by a group of local radio DJs and community volunteers who answered telephone calls from teens who had nowhere to go for help. Today, we operate three SafePlace2B programs, short-term residential facilities in Pinellas and Manatee counties, and 12 programs in over 30 locations.

Highlights

1970 —Hotline is formed

1978 —Runaway/Youth Crisis Shelter opens in St. Petersburg

1980 —Hotline/UW Information Referral Program merge

1981 —Clearwater outreach office opens

1984 —VAC and Corporate Volunteer Corps are instated

1985 —Runaway/Youth Crisis Shelter opens in Clearwater

1991 —Project Safe Place begins in Pinellas County

1991 —Agency changes name to Family Resources, Inc.

1992 —Family Resources opens office in Bradenton

1993 —Family Builders grant is received

1994 —Transitional Living Program opens

1996 —Family Resources becomes accredited

1996 —First OCIP™ program starts up

1997 —Family Resources revises its mission and focus

1997 —Helpline and Volunteer Action Center become separate agency

1997 —Four new programs receive funding

1998 —Four new OCIP™ programs start up

1998 —Street SAFE grant is received

1999 —OCIP™ expands to 6 high schools and 4 middle schools

1999 —YOUthLEAD, high school leadership progam begins

2000 —Manatee Runaway/Youth Crisis Shelter opens

2000 —First YOUthLEAD class graduates

2000 —Family Resources named chairty for the PAIFA Golf Tournament

2001 —Phases I and II of St. Petersburg shelter are completed

2001 —OCIP™ expands to 12 schools

2002 —OCIP™ expands to 17 schools

2002 —Phase III of St. Petersburg shelter completed

2002 —SWAT program initiated

2002 —Funding awarded for kinship support groups

2003 —Maternal TLP wraparound services are established with Alpha

2003 —Property chosen in north Pinellas County for combined shelter and counseling program.

2003 —Property secured for Family Resources' Park Centre.

2003 —Manatee County shelter receives funding for renovations.

2004 —OCIP^® receives registered trademark

2004 —TLP sustained by benefactor

2004 —Family Builders discontinued due to lack of funding

2004 —Family Resources joins America's Charities

2004 —Youth Arts Corps joins Agency

2005 —Park Centre opens

2005 —Second Image Thrift Stores adopts Family Resources as its charity

2005 —Family Resources benefits from 47th Annual Queen of Hearts Ball

2005 —Annonymous donors fund production of agency video

2005 —Ground Breaking at Union Street

2005 —Art sale combined with Great Chefs of Tampa Bay

2005 —Cirque du Soleil partners with Family Resources

2006 —Eighth Annual Great Chefs at historic Rutland Mansion

2006 —Youth Arts Corps expands its program to Largo

2006 —A new SafePlace2B and family counseling center opens in Clearwater

2006 —Family Resources receives a $1.2 million grant

2006 —Family Recoures receives a grant to establish Operation Family First

2006 —Expandes the Truancy Program to include PAL

2006 —Family Resources receives funding to renovate Turner Street into a TLP project

2006 —Awarded Healthy Marriage Grant

2007 —Receives funding to expand YAC into Pinellas Park

2007 —Groundbreaking at Turner Street TLP facility

2007 —Receives Business Partner of the Year Award in the Pinellas County High School Category

2008 —Shari McPeek (TLP) won the NN4Y Youth Care of the Year Award

2008 —Florida Deptartment of Education - Commissioners Business Recognition Award for Clearwater High School OCIP

1970's

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The Hotline Foundation, Inc. was started by a group of local DJs and community volunteers in 1970. Youth in crisis had nowhere to call for help except the radio stations. Thus an all-volunteer Hotline began operating in the evenings. In 1974, the name was changed to Alternative Human Services (AHS), with the first paid Executive Director, Roy Miller.

John Brook, who joined the Board in 1977, was honored in 2002 for 25 years of service.

In 1978, AHS opened the doors of the Runaway/Youth Crisis Center. The services of this respite shelter have helped families whose children have run away, are in crisis or beyond parental control.

1980's

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In 1980, AHS started The Resource Center with components addressing community education, prevention, youth advocacy and special projects. An example of such a special project was the Child Safety Task Force that focused on parent and child education.

Also in 1980, the agency merged the original crisis Hotline and the United Way Information & Referral program into one central, 24-hour, 7-day-a week service. That was an extremely important venture, providing hotline access around the clock and expanding the resources available to callers. In 1983, the service expanded to include Pasco County. Unfortunately, as state prevention dollars decreased, the Pasco portion of the service was eliminated in 1993.

In August 1981, with the assistance of the Junior League of Clearwater, The Family Connection, a Clearwater outreach office was opened.

In 1984, the Volunteer Action Center and the Corporate Volunteer Corps were added to the organization.

In Clearwater in 1985, the agency opened its second Runaway and Youth Crisis shelter in Clearwater.

Senator Jeanne Malchon chats with guest at 1987 dedication.

Originally established in 1985 with the assistance of the First Presbyterian Church, two group homes, previously the San Antonio Group Homes, were transferred to AHS in 1988. This program offered voluntary residential care and treatment for youth aged twelve to seventeen. Due to changes in funding priorities, these homes were closed in 1997.

In 1989, the agency was awarded a federal grant to expand the existing services to address more directly the use of illicit drugs by runaway youth.

1989 shelter renovations.

1990's

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In July 1991, Project Safe Place was initiated. This runaway prevention program provides outreach to teens about the dangers of running away and helps youth find a safe place to get help. Also during this year, new state funding for Children and Families in Need of Services (CINS/FINS) began. New services began in Manatee County with the opening of an out-client office in Bradenton.

After much research and several community surveys, the agency chose a new name for the organization, Family Resources, Incorporated in 1991.

In 1992 Family Resources reorganized to become the umbrella corporation for three distinct agencies: Helpline, Volunteer Action Center and Youth & Family Connection.

In 1993, Family Resources was awarded the Family Builders grant by the Florida Department of Health & Rehabilitative Services (HRS). Services are designed to keep families together whenever possible. Families are identified through abuse and neglect complaints filed with the referring agency. In 2001, the program was modified with the privatization of child welfare services. Now families are referred for assistance through Family Continuity Programs (FCP) when the children are at risk of being placed in foster care.

In November of 1994, the agency received a federal grant to operate a Transitional Living Program for homeless young men ages 16-20 years of age. The program was designed to transition young men to adulthood and become productive members of the community. Funding for this program was terminated in 1997. However, the program resumed in 2001 after again securing funding.

Council on the Accreditation of Services to Families and Children, Inc. began in 1995 and culminated in a site visit by the Council in October 1996. This resulted in Family Resources becoming fully accredited. A new in-school suspension program called the On-Campus Intervention Program (OCIP™) began at Clearwater High School.

In 1997, after a year of deliberation and strategic planning, the Board of Directors decided to transform Family Resources into a single-focused agency. New vision and mission statements were created centered on prevention and intervention services dealing with children, youth and families experiencing a relationship crisis.

Family Resources was selected as a pilot site for a Kellogg Foundation grant for Community Youth Development (CYD).

The Federal Kinship Care grant was awarded to the Family Builders program in September 1997. Relatives and family members receive custody of abused, neglected, or other "at-risk" kin. The contract ended in 2001 and was replaced with a Kinship Care contract through Family Continuity Programs (FCP) for services to relatives who are raising the children of other family members. The service area includes Pinellas and Pasco counties. Referrals originate directly from FCP for families trying to maintain stable homes for these children.

Also, state funding was received to coordinate the Family Services Planning Team (FSPT) for the Florida Department of Children & Families – Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health (ADM) Department; funding ended in 2000 when all FSPTs were closed state-wide.

Our Manatee agency was awarded a grant to provide Supervised Visitation for divorced families. We also received a grant to initiate Truancy Court.

During 1998 JWB reprogrammed the Group Homes funds to operate three new OCIP™ programs in middle schools (Tyrone, John Hopkins and Morgan Fitzgerald) and other funding was received to include Largo High School.

Additionally, Family Resources received another federal grant to provide street outreach to homeless, habitually runaway and other street youth; the program, called StreetSAFE, provides survival aid and linkages to various community resources.

A $250,000 Emergency Shelter grant was awarded to add beds to the St. Petersburg shelter and renovate the facility.

We closed the year receiving a grant for YouthMapping – a program where young people identify resources within a community for themselves, their families and friends.

Through strategic planning, the Board decided to spin-off the Volunteer Action Center and Helpline in order for Family Resources to focus on a niche related to services for children and families.

A wide-area-network was initiated to link all Family Resources sites through e-mail.

YOUthLEAD launched in 1999.

1999 saw the expansion of the On-Campus Intervention Program to six high schools and four middle schools; YouthMapping was funded for another three years and YOUthLEAD began as a mentoring program for high school youth to learn leadership skills. The agency also:

• Purchased a building for a shelter in Manatee County and received $400,000 appropriation from the Legislature for renovations;
• Began CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement) initiative;
• Held the first annual Great Chefs fundraiser, a successful premier fundraising event;
• Transferred Helpline and the Volunteer Action Center to Pinellas Cares, Inc.;
• And received a Family Strengthening grant from the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to work with children placed with relative caregivers with substance abuse issues.

The FamilyNet Intranet was completed to provide all sites with Internet capabilities and access to agency forms, policies and manuals.

2000's

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In 2000, Expansion of OCIP™ continued; the Manatee Shelter opened; $250,000 legislative appropriation was approved by the Governor to complete Phase I of the renovations to the St. Petersburg Shelter. The transfer of all administrative functions to Pinellas Cares, Inc. was completed; the Mission Statement was revised to include Youth Development; the first YOUthLEAD class graduated; the Manatee program was awarded United Way funding; we received Florida trademark for OCIP™, with 11 schools actively using the program.

August 15, 2001 ribbon cutting for new shelter.

In 2001, Phases I and II of St. Petersburg Shelter renovations were completed and funding award received for a third phase; funding was also received to resume the Transitional Living Program for youth ages 16-21; OCIP™ increased to 12 schools; second YOUthLEAD class graduated from program.

In 2002, OCIP™ increased to 17 schools - 10 middle schools and 7 high schools; Phase III of the St. Petersburg Youth Crisis Shelter was completed in September, replacing the outdated and outgrown shelter that served in its place; third YOUthLEAD class graduated from program; Youth Development expanded with the addition of SWAT (Students Working Against Tobacco) until reallocation of State funding in 2003 stopped the program. Kinship Care received funding through the Department of Elder Affairs, Area Agency on Aging, to provide kinship support groups to kin caregivers in Pinellas and Pasco counties.

In 2003, Family Resources and ALPHA, "A Beginning," Inc. received a shared federal award for a new Maternal Transitional Living Program for pregnant or parenting young females between the ages of 16 and 21; this program received the Florida Network's Innovation Award.

Federal funding was secured with the help of Congressman Bill Young's office for a much-needed, new facility in north Pinellas County. The site, which will require additional funding, will combine both shelter and counseling programs at one, single location. A site was also secured for the development of Family Resources' Park Centre, which will house the administrative offices and meeting and training rooms. The facility will also serve to generate income as a leasing property to non-profit, social service organizations.

Safe Place signs identify each Safe Place site

The YOUthLEAD Class of 2003 graduated. A Safe Place outreach effort ran, resulting in the distribution of 65,000 brochures and cards in Pinellas County and 20,000 in Manatee County. Manatee County programs also received funding from the county to remodel the Runaway and Youth Crisis Shelter in Bradenton. Agency representatives in Manatee County also helped facilitate Candidate Connections meetings designed to educate local legislative candidates on children's issues.

Family Resources received its registered trademark for OCIP^® on March 9, 2004. The Transitional Living Program on 5th Ave. N. campus lost funding, but sustained for six additional months with the help of a generous benefactor. The Family Builders Program, a part of the agency since 1992, lost funding and those services were discontinued. Family Resources joined other local non-profit organizations in the inaugural campaign of America's Charities. As of October 1, the Youth Arts Corps joined Family Resources' umbrella of services to youth and their families in Pinellas County. The Runaway and Youth Crisis Shelters changed to SafePlace2B St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Manatee.

In January 2005, Family Resources moved its administrative office to Park Centre, 5180 - 62nd Avenue N. in Pinellas Park. Second Image Thrift Stores opened its wallets to Family Resources in providing monthly donations and gift certificates to agency clients. In turn, friends of the agency began donating used items to the thrift stores in abundance. In February, Family Resources was a beneficiary of the 47th Annual Queen of Hearts Ball. The agency received $20,500 from the proceeds of the ball. In March, Family Resources produced three professional-quality video presentations. Two presentations focused on the programs of Pinellas and Manatee counties, while the third was produced strictly for adolescent and teen audiences. On June 28, a ground breaking ceremony was held for the new Union Street facility in Clearwater. This building provides housing for SafePlace2B residents and offices for Family Counseling and OCIP programs. On April 9, the 7th Annual Great Chefs of Tampa Bay fundraiser introduced an art sale by local artists, as well as art from the Youth Arts Corps. In December, Cirque du Soleil partnered with Family Resources by providing tickets for their Varekai program, resulting in a $33,000 gift to the organization.

On April 8, 2006, the eighth annual Great Chefs of Tampa Bay was held at the historic Rutland Mansion in St. Petersburg. Proceeds of the event topped $70, 000, making it the most successful fundraiser in the history of Family Resources. On May 1, the 14th Annual PAIFA (Pinellas Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors) Golf Tournament was held May1, at the Isla del Sol Yacht & Country Club. Proceeds from the event benefited Family Resources. Youth Arts Corps expanded its program to Largo at the Gulf Coast Museum of Art. SafePlace2B Clearwater was opened. In October, Family Resources received a $1.2 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services for the Healthy Marriage initiative. Family Resources received a grant to establish Operation Family First in collaboration with the Florida National Guard. The Truancy Program was expanded to include PAL (Police Athletic League) with the 6th Judicial Circuit Court. Funding was received to renovate Turner Street into a TLP project. Family Resources received funding for an initiative to create a client information system.

In 2007, Family Resources received funding from the Mid County Initiative to expand YAC projects. A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Turner Street TLP and the facility was completed in November. The grant with HHS to provide services to pregnant and parenting youth through a partnership with Alpha was renewed until 2013. In November, Family Resources was named Business Partner of the Year Award in the High School Category by the Pinellas Education Foundation, Pinellas County Schools, Pinellas Free Enterprise hall of Honor and Business Partner of the Year Awards. Received funding for SafePlace2B meals from the Florida Department of Health.

In January, 2008, Shari McPeek (TLP) won the NN4Y Youth Care of the Year Award in Washington DC.

In April, 2008, The Florida Deptartment of Edication awarded Family Resources with the Commissioners Business Recognigtion Award for Clearwater High School OCIP^®