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Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm

Independence: A Family of Services

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East Orange, NJ
Independence: A Family of Services

Independence: A Family of Services, Inc. (IFS) is a community-based, nonprofit agency that has served at-risk youth and families in Essex County for 40 yrs

At Independence: A Family of Services, Inc. (IFS), our mission is to create pathways to success for at-risk and underserved residents in urban communities through innovative behavioral health, mental health, residential and educational programs. IFS began in 1971 as Independence High School, a nonprofit organization established to provide alternative education services to high school dropouts. For

the past forty years, IFS has been committed to seeing that underserved young people in and around Newark, New Jersey receive the education and services they deserve and that work to keep them in school and on a path toward capable adulthood.

Address

East Orange, NJ
07018

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

(973) 372-5601

Website

https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/110230052184687338/charity/1866633

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Our Story

Since 1971, Independence: A Family of Services (IFS) has been serving youth and their families struggling with educational and behavioral issues caused by poverty, substandard educational systems and unstable homes. Almost all of our youth population, come from single parent households, and are in foster care or residential programs, are predominately African American (90%), and are mostly from Newark (85%). IFS has a long history of working with disenfranchised youth of color who have been expelled from local school districts, are atrisk of dropping out, have been involved in the judicial system or are at-risk of institutional involvement. We also work with victims of violent crimes and their families, providing trauma-informed care. Our goals are to assist our clients in becoming productive members of society and become capable of coping with the various stresses of poverty in an inner city environment.

Typically, IFS clients encounter a "breakthrough" and for the first time experience success and positive achievement.

At (IFS), our mission is to create pathways to success for at-risk and underserved residents in urban communities through innovative behavioral health, mental health, residential and educational programs. IFS works with clients to develop the educational, vocational, social and leadership skills they will need to become productive members of society and become adults who are capable of coping with the various stresses of inner-city life. Through IFS trauma-informed services including behavioral counseling and clinical programs, we emphasize independent decision-making, problem solving, and positive self-direction.

Our programs include:

Homeless Prevention/Aftercare – This program provides case management services to young people who have left residential care and are actively living independent lives. The services are provided for one year, however, youth may return to the program after a year for additional support until the age of 21. Services consist of case management, access to resources and referrals, and Chafee Funds.

Life Skills for Youth – This program provides independent living skills to youth who are aging out of the out of the child welfare system. specifically, Life Skills training includes a “Rites of Passage” component, which students must complete in order to graduate and move on to independent living.

Survivors And Victims Empowered (SAVE) – IFS serves as the life-line to survivors and victims of violence. IFS has an extensive system of trauma informed services that support survivors of violent crimes with a special emphasis on young victims ages 6-17 years old. Our extended system of services provides immediate support as well as on going education, self-inspection and life skills training that are instrumental to helping victims cope with trauma. IFS uses best practice tools and services to assist victims to recover from historical, present and past emotional, physical and psychological trauma.

East Orange Family Success Center – The goal of the EOFSC is to strengthen families and neighborhoods, by connecting families to needed services before they experience a problem such as child welfare involvement, housing eviction, chronic hunger, medical issues, and other problems associated with living in poverty. Specifically, we work with families and provide a series of resources, parenting trainings, and services for the benefit of the area’s children. Some of the families we work with include several generations. The EOFSC provides a variety of services for youth that encourage family bonding. Our goal is to use reading and literacy activities and tutoring programs to encourage parent-child bonding.

Independence Community Development Corp. – IFS has been in the process of developing a comprehensive resident-driven neighborhood revitalization plan, with the goal of increasing the quality of life for families. We plan to improve the neighborhood by working with residents and investors to increase access to affordable housing, recreational facilities, affordable quality health care, jobs and enhanced public safety.

As a 48-year-old community-based organization, we have operated the East Orange Family Success Center (EOFSC) for over 11 years and have worked with over 3,850 families in that time. The staff has consistently sought and established partnerships that benefit the families it serves, many of whom are living at or below the poverty level.