Summary
The Village Family Service Center is the premiere human service agency in the region. The Village has offices in 20 locations throughout North Dakota and Minnesota, and serves people nationwide through its employee assistance program. It is a progressive agency with a mission to "improve the quality of life through services designed to strengthen individuals, families and organizations.
Description
The Village Family Service Center has been working with children and families since 1891 when it was established as the North Dakota Children's Home. The mission was to be "the protector and defender of neglected and destitute children." Through the first seven decades of the Home''s existence, the primary emphasis was providing for homeless children as an orphanage and helping kids join families through adoption. In the early part of the century, the Home also operated in conjunction with efforts to serve North Dakota''s "crippled children" and functioned as the first Children''s Hospital in the state. Volunteer medical professionals from around the region and Mayo Clinic provided their services for free to children at the home, performing surgeries and providing medical attention to the chronically ill.
Over the years, services have changed and expanded to keep up with the changing world and the changing needs of our community. Our name changed to reflect the broader nature of the programs we provide. Now, The Village provides a full range of services including counseling programs, adoption, financial counseling, unplanned pregnancy counseling and mentoring programs like the Big Brother Big Sister Program.
The Village has offices throughout North Dakota and Minnesota, and serves people nationwide through The Village Business Institute.
The Village is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children; licensed by both the North Dakota and Minnesota Department of Human Services; and is a member of the National Foundation for Consumer Credit, Inc., the Employee Assistance Professionals Association, Inc, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and the Alliance for Children and Families.
Thanks to United Way and donor support, Village services are available at a reduced fee for eligible participants.