2021: Oakland Family Services' year in review

In 2021, Oakland Family Services continued the work we began in 1921: Providing individuals and families the opportunity to build brighter futures. We offered online, hybrid and in-person services to help meet the needs of our community despite the ongoing pandemic, and found special ways to mark our agency’s 100th anniversary throughout the year.

As we close out the year, here are some successes from 2021 that we would like to share:

  • We celebrated our 100th anniversary by looking back at our history, reflecting with some of the people who have shaped Oakland Family Services over the years and planning special events. We can’t wait to continue the celebration at our A Roaring Century gala in May 2022!

  • To protect our staff and supporters, we held an online Building A Brighter Future Campaign in place of our annual Building a Brighter Future Breakfast for the second year in a row. This year’s campaign surpassed our $185,000 goal by nearly 20%, raising a grand total of $221,320.

  • We hosted our first-ever Fun Run, a fun-filled day that included a 5K run, 1K walk and outdoor family friendly activities. It was the first in-person event we have held since the pandemic began.

  • Our Adopt A Family program built a brighter holiday for 664 children from 285 families in need.

  • We were named amongst the first-ever National Top Workplaces and were recognized as a Detroit Free Press Top Workplace for the eighth year in a row, which means our employees have great things to say about working for Oakland Family Services.

In Prevention:

  • Early On completed more than 1,670 home visits to identify developmental delays in children age 0-3 and support their motor, cognitive, speech and social-emotional development.

  • Parents as Teachers completed more than 814 home visits to encourage language, social and emotional development in children age 0-6.

  • Our Family Preservation foster care and adoption program provided permanency for 48 children though adoption, guardianship and reunification with their biological parents, and secured homes for an additional 52 children placed in foster care in 2021.

In Education:

  • Our Children’s Learning Centers in Pontiac and Walled Lake have maintained high-quality preschool and child care throughout the pandemic.

  • The Early Learning Communities hosted 332 trainings with more than 3,000 participating child care providers to enhance the quality of child care in Michigan. Our Early Learning Communities navigator supported nearly 1,500 providers with resource connections, training support and other needs.

In Treatment:

  • Day One provided mental health and substance use disorder treatment services to more than 1,350 individuals through online and in-person offerings.

    • Day One’s Mission program, which helps incarcerated individuals with mental health and substance use issues as they transition from prison to a supported and drug-free life after release, resumed face-to-face visits in prisons and the communities. Based on excellent outcomes, Mission has received funding to add a second team, including a case manager and peer recovery coach.

    • PRISM (Project Recovery Intensive Services for Mother), which is Day One’s intensive outpatient substance use treatment program designed specifically for moms and pregnant women in recovery, assured that 90% of women served did not need a higher level of care. Treatment through PRISM helped 31 moms avoid incarceration and escalation of cases with Child Protective Services.

  • Specialized Services for Youth served nearly 600 children with serious emotional disturbance and their families through online and in-person sessions.

  • We opened the doors to our new Walled Lake office at 1885 N. Pontiac Trail. The east side of the building has been home to our Walled Lake Children’s Learning Center since 2015, and the west side now houses counselors from Day One and Specialized Services for Youth.

Thank you to all of the donors, funders, volunteers, staff and other supporters who helped us weather 2021 and continue to provide the best possible care for the people we serve. Here’s to a happy, healthy, successful 2022!

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