Community Services of Venango County, Inc. (CSVC) is a private non-profit 501(c)3 organization founded in 1967 and incorporated in 1973. Community Services began as a small grassroots program with three staff members and is currently staffed by 70 employees responsible for the administration, implementation, and delivery of services.

Mission/Vision

Our mission is to provide high quality education, leadership, services, and resources that promote the wellness of individuals, families, and communities throughout their lifespan.

Vision

To nurture hope for all communities we serve.

History/CS Today

Community Services has experienced significant organizational change and growth since our beginnings as an emergency aid program. We have expanded our mission and variety of services to meet community needs, as shown by the timeline below.

1967

• Emergency Aid: Food Pantry and Clothing Room opens in Oil City to serve low-income families

1990

• Opens second Food Pantry and Clothing Room in Rocky Grove

1996

• Low-income housing apartments open in Oil City
• Welcome Every Child: Provides expectant parents with support and education to welcome their babies into our community

1999

• Early Head Start: Community Services receives its first federal grant to serve pregnant women and families with infants and toddlers, birth to three. Services are provided in the home
• Nurse/Home Visitor: Serves those on the wait list for Early Head Start in Venango County

2002

• Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q): Provides information about levels of satisfaction expressed by individuals with developmental disabilities served by Cameron/Elk, McKean, Clarion, Venango counties, and Polk Center

2006

• Work Ready: Provides case-management and supportive services to assist individuals in need of re-mediating specific barriers to employment

2007

• Consumer/Family Satisfaction Teams (C/FST): Provides individuals recovering from a mental illness and/or substance abuse an opportunity to voice their perspectives regarding their level of satisfaction with the services they receive
• Elk St: Purchased a home in Franklin to provide permanent, supportive housing for individuals recovering from severe mental illness

2008

• Workwear: Provides professional attire for job interviews and specific clothing necessary for employment. Referrals come from the Public Assistance Office
• Sycamore Commons: The agency receives its second federal grant to serve seriously mentally ill, chronic substance abusers, and chronically homeless individuals in permanent supportive housing

2009

• Crawford EHS: Receives third federal grant opportunity to expand EHS services into Crawford County; office opens in Meadville, PA

2011

• Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visitation: Funding to increase Early Head Start services in Crawford, Forest, and Venango counties. Office opens in Titusville, PA

2012

• Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visitation: Funding to implement Parents as Teachers to serve those on the waitlist for Early Head Start in Crawford, Forest, and Venango counties.

2013

• Cooking Counts: A six-week program that teaches families how to select nutritious and low-cost ingredients and prepare them in ways that provide the best nourishment

2014

• Doula Program: Support through the pregnancy and birth experience
• New Beginnings: Serving families with identified substance abuse/recovery issues who have children up to age three and pregnant women in Venango County
• Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ): Provides developmental and social/emotional screenings for children up to age five who have been subjects of a substantiated report of child abuse/neglect in Venango County
• Parker Place: Bi-weekly luncheon and socialization program for older adults. Speakers and activities center around the luncheons

2015

• Contact Visitation: Coaching support to incarcerated parents during their visitation with their children at the Venango County Jail. This program provides meaningful and engaging visits that nurture attachment during incarceration

2016

• Great Beginnings: Visitation program providing education and supports to families with children born at UPMC Northwest Hospital identified as having Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) and/or other addiction issues.
• Home Meal Delivery: Home-delivered meals to older adults within Venango County.
• Cranberry Place, Scrubgrass Senior Center, and four Satellite Senior Centers: Older adult programming that provides a variety of services aimed at socialization, nutrition, health and fitness, and recreational and volunteer opportunities. Located in the Cranberry Mall and various sites within Venango County

2017

• Introduced Baby Boxes, a safe sleep system for families with newborns and infants
• Lizzy's Bikes was started and is a collaboration with the program Lizzy's Bikes. Lizzy's mission is to provide new or next-to-new bikes to children of economically disadvantaged families

2018

• Took over the Car Seat Loaner program from ABC Pregnancy. New or nearly new car seats, boosters, and infant seats are loaned for $20 with $10 returned upon return of loaned item.
• MIECHV expansion including new Titusville Office
• New agency van and renovated Rocky Grove Food Pantry

2019

• Increased New Beginnings and Parents as Teachers to two home visitors and doubled the number of families served

2020

• New Crawford County Early Head Start office. Moved to Moisertown Road
• Started the Hygiene and Cleaning Bag program
• Painted and updated Center Street Food Pantry
• Purchased and installed walk-in freezer at Center Street Food Pantry
• Purchased agency truck for Food Pantries

2021

• Started Mobile Food Pantries throughout Venango County
• Purchased and installed walk-in cooler/refrigerator at Rocky Grove Food Pantry
• Upgrades on infrastructure of RG office. Roof, storage shed, steps, windows, painting