Putting people first

From our earliest days, Family Service League has focused on the people of Long Island and their most pressing social needs. The challenges that affect the most vulnerable members of our society, and our community as a whole, change and evolve over time. Many of the programs we offered in decades past are no longer necessary; many of the problems we will need to address in the future have yet to be recognized.

FSL has always been -- and remains -- a dynamic organization. We offer a wide range of programs and initiatives that are distinguished by their diversity. They result from a process, refined over the years, of systematically identifying social problems and underserved populations, locating and marshaling the required resources and funding, and then developing the programs and facilities necessary to address them.

The need may involve early education or teenage eating disorders...families afflicted by substance abuse or by the plight of the homeless...training for the unemployed or assistance for the elderly. The necessary resources can come from untapped government programs, grants from private foundations, corporate support, the generosity of private individuals or, in some cases, the grassroots efforts of community-minded citizens and organizations in search of an effective partner to reach out to those in need.

The physical manifestation of this process can be seen at numerous locations throughout Long Island, and in the more than 50 programs through which we currently help nearly 47,000 Long Islanders rebuild their lives each year. The challenges change, but our focus remains the same: helping the people of Long Island.