ECS | Programs & Services | Families Stay Together

ECS programs encourage good parenting, strengthen struggling families, and help seniors live independently in their own homes.

ECS Foster/Kinship Care
ECS SCOH
ECS Home Care
ECS St. Barnabas Mission
ECS FAST Housing
Family Workshops
Adult Education Programs at ECS Urban Bridges

ECS Foster/Kinship Care provides safe, caring homes for children who have been abused or neglected. ECS recruits foster parents and provides support, training, supervision and financial reimbursement to foster and kinship caregivers. Kinship care is the practice of placing children in the homes of extended family members in order to preserve family connections. ECS Foster/Kinship Care also helps birth parents make positive changes in their lives so families can be reunited. Learn how to become a foster parent
For more information, email foster@ecs1870.org.

ECS SCOH (Services to Children in their Own Homes) is a family preservation program designed to prevent child abuse and strengthen struggling families. SCOH case workers provide intensive in-home guidance, support, and intervention to families affected by poverty, addiction, mental health and other issues. SCOH works to stabilize families, prevent out-of-home placements and ensure the well-being of children.
For more information, email SCOH@ecs1870.org.

ECS Home Care promotes health, dignity and independence for homebound elderly and disabled persons by providing in-home social services. Home Health Aide/homemaker services are free to eligible clients. Fee-for-service is offered. Spanish-speaking staff is available.

Often, living at home allows an elderly or disabled person maintain connections to friends and family that might be strained by either a nursing home placement or a continuing burden of care.
One out of five seniors in Philadelphia lives in poverty, leaving long-term care at quality nursing homes out of reach and making the extra years ECS home care can allow them to live safely at home all the more valuable.
Over 80% of seniors report a strong preference to remain in their own homes as long as possible. Every year, ECS Home Care helps about 150 of our neighbors do just that.

To make a referral or for more information, contact: homecare@ecs1870.org or 215.351.1486.

ECS FAST Housing is a permanent housing program for 28 large, chronically homeless families who have multiple social service needs. FAST places families who are in the city shelter system into three– and four–bedroom units and provides “wrap around” services to ensure their success in independent living. The program gives priority to families who have children in foster care and need adequate housing in order to reunite with them. For more information, contact fast@ecs1870.org. ECS offers Family Workshops on Saturdays at the agency's main office. These interactive workshops teach parents about the stages of child development and encourage positive approaches to parenting. For more information, contact workshops@ecs1870.org.

		ECS St. Barnabas Mission is a shelter for homeless families. This modern facility in West Philadelphia houses up to 105 women and children every day. In addition to housing and meals, St. Barnabas provides services that stabilize families and help them become self-sufficient. We offer: case management health services computer classes Butterfly Pre-School Program After-school Program Summer Camp All referrals are made through the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Shelter and Services. For more information, contact stbarnabas@ecs1870.org or 215.528.5400.

ECS offers Adult Education Programs in Philadelphia's Olney and Feltonville neighborhoods at ECS Urban Bridges: English as a Second Language Adult Basic Education Pre-GED GED Preparation Adult High School Diploma Program ECS Urban Bridges is located at 101 E. Roosevelt Boulevard. For more information, contact urbanbridges@ecs1870.org or 215.329.6122.