Company Profile
Family Service Agency
Company Overview
Our mission is to strengthen and advocate for families and individuals of all ages and diversities, helping to create and preserve a healthy community.
Family Service Agency (FSA) has long been regarded as one of Santa Barbara County’s most reliable and effective nonprofit human service organizations. Established in 1899, FSA improves the health and well-being of our community’s most vulnerable children, families and seniors by ensuring access to food, shelter and other basic needs, as well as providing case management, advocacy, and mental health programs. Our transformative and essential programs include:
Family Support Services
School Counseling Services
School Outreach Mentors
Youth & Family Behavioral Health
Holistic Defense
Senior Services
Long-Term Care Ombudsman
Family Service Agency (FSA) of Santa Barbara County merged operations with two North County organizations: Santa Maria Valley Youth & Family Center (SMVYFC) in 2017 and Guadalupe’s Little House by the Park (LHP) in 2019.
What this means for our community…
Easier access to services— most services will now be available countywide
Greater financial stability and organizational efficiency
Combined staff expertise creating a hub of service excellence
We are committed to providing services where they are needed most: in the community. Eighty percent of our services are delivered on school campuses, at community centers and in clients’ homes. Our programs, which serve more than 28,000 people annually, combine clinical expertise, bilingual and bicultural staff, and close collaboration with other agencies.
At FSA, no one will be denied access to services due to inability to pay. FSA’s Sliding Fee Discount Program is designed to provide free or discounted mental health care based on family size and income and is adjusted down for rent/mortgage.
Company History
In July 1899, a group of concerned citizens gathered in the halls of Santa Barbara’s Chamber of Commerce in interest of organizing charity. Out of this meeting was formed Associated Charities, today known as Family Service Agency.
This year, Family Service Agency is celebrating its 125th anniversary. The history of FSA reflects both the changing philosophies of social service work over the past century and the changing needs of Santa Barbara County’s population. When the great depression of the 1930?s threw thousands out of work, the Agency responded with several employment programs. When the disastrous Painted Cave Fire destroyed over 500 homes in 1990, FSA was there to help find housing for the displaced and to counsel traumatized victims. During the COVID-19 pandemic, FSA pivoted to virtual support services and collaborated with other organizations to launch new programs to address the community’s needs.
FSA has never been just about charity. Education has always been at the core of its programs. The agency is there to lend a helping hand when needed, but it is also there to empower people to help themselves. Santa Barbara has a proud history of aiding the less-fortunate members of the community and for over one hundred years, Family Service Agency has played a major role in that heritage.
Santa Maria Valley Youth & Family Center merged with FSA in 2017, and The Little House By The Park in Guadalupe merged with FSA in 2019. The agency serves Santa Barbara County with program sites in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Lompoc, Guadalupe, and Carpinteria. Eighty percent of services are delivered on school campuses, at community centers, or in clients’ homes. FSA service sites include seven offices and more than 30 school campuses and community centers throughout the county.