The Utah Family Support Center Coalition

History of The Family Support Center

In 1977, there was no place in Salt Lake City where children who were at risk for abuse or neglect could receive short term crisis care. In response to this need, the Junior League of Salt Lake City and the Utah Association for Children's Therapy (U-ACT) provided funding, volunteers and Board of Directors representation and the Family Support Center was born.

At a central city site, the Family Support Center provided up to 72 hours of crisis/respite care for children under the age of nine. Other services were also offered to parents to help them deal with the problems that had brought their families to the point of crisis. Within two years FSC moved to its current location at 2020 South Lake Street in Sugar House and began providing a new Family Counseling Program. Parenting education and stress management classes were soon added.

By 1981, the demand for crisis/respite care had increased to the point that a second crisis nursery at 777 W. Center Street in Midvale was opened to serve the south valley area and the program was expanded to include children up to the age of 12. A center for the treatment of children who had been victims of sexual abuse and their families was opened across the street from the Sugar House nursery in 1985. Separate clinical and administrative offices were constructed next to the Midvale Crisis Nursery in 1987.

At the invitation of Utah's Department of Child and Family Services, FSC established a home-based Parent Advocate Program in 1990 to help high-risk families create more stable homes.

Services have expanded over the past 20 years to include prevention outreach to schools, daycare centers, churches and civic organizations. Extensive efforts in reaching out to Salt Lake County's ethnically diverse communities have brought success, most notably through collaboration such as Midvale Community Building Community Initiative. Services and materials are available in Spanish.