Methodist Childrens Home Society

For more than 109 years, MCHS Family of Services has served children, families, and older adults across Michigan. Founded in Redford as Methodist Children's Home Society, MCHS has grown into a comprehensive human services agency with campuses in Redford Township, Detroit, Saginaw, Clinton Township, and Gaylord, Michigan. Each year, MCHS reaches individuals in 64 of Michigan's 83 counties, providing individualized treatment, care, advocacy, and permanency to children and families impacted by childhood trauma.

MCHS delivers its mission through six key pillars of service.

1. Child Welfare

MCHS provides foster care, adoption, and foster care licensing services that give children safe, loving homes. The agency supports children from infancy through adolescence and walks alongside families through every stage of the process, from initial placement to permanency.

2. Residential Treatment

MCHS operates Michigan's first restraint-free residential treatment facility. The 80-acre Redford campus is home to boys ages 5 to 18 who need intensive, trauma-informed care in a structured, therapeutic setting. Clinical therapy and individualized treatment plans help each young person heal and build toward a stable future.

3. Education

The Fostering Leadership Academy, MCHS's trauma-informed K-8 charter school located on the Redford campus, is Michigan's first school of its kind. Authorized by Grand Valley State University, the school integrates trauma-informed practices into daily instruction so students can learn and thrive.

4. Mental Health

MCHS provides clinical and mental health support to children, families, and older adults across its full continuum of care. This includes therapy and counseling services woven into residential, housing, and community programs, ensuring that emotional and psychological healing is part of every individual's path forward.

5. Housing

MCHS offers transitional and independent living services for youth and young families. This includes Independent Living Services and Supportive Independent Living for youth aging out of foster care, as well as Teen Infant Parenting Services (TIPS), a transitional housing program in Detroit for young families. The Pembroke campus in Detroit provides emergency and transitional housing for young people in need of stability.

6. Community Services

MCHS extends its reach through programs that engage the broader community, including the Foster Grandparent and Senior Companionship programs, which connect older adults with youth and peers for mentorship and support. Community-based services also include child abuse prevention programs and initiatives that let seniors give back through volunteering.

Mission, Vision, and Values

MCHS is building a community where every child and family has a safer and brighter future. The organization's work is guided by core values of diversity, collaboration, advocacy, results, and impact, celebrating the worth and dignity of every youth and family it serves.

Getting Involved

Individuals and organizations can support MCHS through donations, volunteering, corporate partnerships, and participation in signature events such as the Light the Way Gala. Most individuals served by MCHS are referred through schools, healthcare providers, courts, state agencies, or other community organizations.