Family Service Association (FSA), a longtime Inland Empire change agent, is headed toward its 75th birthday in 2028 by blending past success with a refined vision for the future.
FSA was founded in 1953 by the Junior League and other faith-based organizations. Known as Family Service Agency at the time, it found success with its single-service goals for residents who needed mental health support.
“We were founded for the sole reason to provide counseling and therapy services to families in the city of Riverside,” said Ahlam Jadallah, Fund Development Specialist for FSA. “At that time, there were rising divorce rates, and you had seen a lot of military families returning and experiencing challenges that required therapy and counseling.”
The organization has since expanded its services to serve children, adults, seniors, and others through a wide range of services, but at its core, behavioral health services are key.
“One of the things that we noticed coming out of the recent pandemic was the need for more behavioral health,” Jadallah added. “This includes increased access to behavioral health treatment, especially for families with young children.”
To that end, a recent grant from the Inland Empire Community Foundation through the Riverside County ARPA Fund became extremely beneficial.
“It was a big benefit to FSA and to our community,” Jadallah said. “The goal of that grant was to have the means to expand our behavioral health and clinical department by hiring a full-time master-level therapist. This person would work with families who were experiencing challenging behavior or who just needed additional support to heal and to thrive.”
“The grant really helped us increase access to care for families in Moreno Valley and Riverside,” she added. 
That care has positive ripple effects. By addressing hunger issues, poverty, and health—from infancy to older adults, and in families and underserved communities—the nonprofit has made significant strides over the years.
In the 1990s, the nonprofit expanded its reach beyond the agency’s origins in Riverside. By 2000, it had incorporated successful strength-based social service models, focusing on diversification, community-centered services, diversification, client empowerment, and a social enterprise mindset.
In the mid- to late-2000s, it surpassed previous efforts, broadening its services to Inland Empire families and individuals, targeting poverty and hunger.
One standout initiative beyond the nonprofit’s many community services is the HOPE Collaborative, which sprang to life after the City of Riverside appointed FSA the Child Abuse Prevention Council (CAPC) for the region.
According to FSA’s website, an average of 63 new cases of child abuse and neglect are reported to Riverside County daily. One-fourth of those cases require investigation, and more than 3,600 of those investigations are found to be true.
The HOPE Collaborative ventures forth with combatting the issue through keen coordination and interagency collaboration. This includes everything from educating and training professionals, parents, and the community to various services for child abuse victims and families.
Jadallah praises the efforts of the entire organization and its board members. Looking ahead, she points out the many volunteer opportunities available.
“These are for people who want to get involved with a nonprofit organization or just to get involved with their community,” she said. “We’re spreading across the Inland Empire. We serve meals, including senior meals, across 27 community centers. We provide childcare to more than 1,000 children.”
“And of course, we are proud of the behavioral health services we offer,” she added, noting that its varied services are spread across the region.
“We have more than 300 employees,” Jadallah said, “but our volunteer support is a very big part of our success. We have several hundred volunteers who support us each day, whether it’s by serving meals to seniors at the sites that we’re at, or coming to our child development centers to help care for children. We’re always looking for volunteers.”
Learn more about Family Life Services at www.fsaca.org
This story originally appeared in the Press Enterprise, July 2025.
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