Our Mission & Philosophy
Our mission is, quite simply,
"Going to people's houses to help create homes"
We believe lasting change begins with empowering families. By recognizing and building on their strengths, and responding with care and support during times of crisis, we work alongside families to create safe, stable, and connected environments. When children are placed outside the home, it may reflect gaps in available resources and supports—not a lack of family commitment. Our role is to bridge those gaps, helping families and children succeed together.
Our Goals are to
- Improve the basic functioning of the child with emotional disturbance and the child’s family in the activities of daily living and community living to prevent the child from being placed outside of his/her home and school.
- Improve the social functioning of the child and the child’s family so the child can stay in his/her home.
- Facilitate reunification of the family where appropriate.
Our Approach
We use a 'Circle of Courage' approach that uses 4 core values in the healing process: Belonging, Mastery, Independence and Generosity. Helping our clients grow in each area; while taking a strengths-based approach to recognize the skills each client may already have in these 4 core values. Greater Minnesota Family Services is a certified Circle of Courage Agency.
Greater Minnesota is organized with a Central Administrative Office located In Willmar, MN. Our Counseling staff is organized in regional "Self Managed Teams." This structure is uniquely suited to be effective in large geographical settings like greater Minnesota.
Our Services go to primarily low-income families, providing individual and family counseling in homes, schools, and communities. As such, measuring the effectiveness of the delivery of these services is critical in assessing client outcomes. Our services have strengthened the relationships of families with children at-risk of out-of-home placement for 87% of participants, as evidenced by our measuring instruments (ECSII, CASII, CAFAS).
Our Story
Greater Minnesota Family Services is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization that got it's start in 1992 to provide In-Home services to at-risk children and their families throughout Minnesota. Greater Minnesota Family Services was founded with the goal of working together with the family, child and local social service agency to create coordinated and effective services for our most at-risk children. Most of the families we serve have at least one or two children that are at risk of out-of-home placement if our interventions are not utilized.
From our startup in 1992 with fifteen employees, we have steadily grown to where we now have 200 employees and offer services in over 40 Counties including: Aitkin, Benton, Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Carver, Cass, Chippewa, Cook, Cottonwood, Crow Wing, Faribault, Hennepin, Jackson, Kanabec, Kandiyohi, Lac Qui Parle, LeSueur, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, McLeod, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Pennington, Pine, Pipestone, Redwood, Renville, Sherburne, Sibley, Stearns, Swift, Todd, Wadena, Watonwan, Wright, and Yellow Medicine.