Agency's name changed to more accurately reflect mission By Sophia S. Huling/ Staff Writer Wednesday, July 14, 2004

An agency that has been "strengthening Shrewsbury families since 1983" has changed its name and added new staff to reflect that motto, said its executive director.

Police Chief A. Wayne Sampson, who also serves as president of the board of Shrewsbury Community Services, said the board agreed July 1 to rename the organization Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services (SYFS) to more accurately reflect its mission.

"That's always been the focus of the organization," said Sampson of the only municipally-funded social service agency in town. "We did it to make sure our focus was recognized by the community. We've tried to be there for everyone in the community who had different problems. (The new name) better represents the mission of the agency."

Executive Director Jeffrey Chin said the name change coincides with the recent hiring of Christine Biron as clinical director, who will start July 26 and will oversee clinical programs, supervise clinical staff including interns, and see clients.

Biron, a clinical social worker at the Franklin Perkins School in Lancaster, is the first full-time staffer added to the agency since Chin arrived in March, he said.

"When I first (was hired), part of my mandate was to grow the agency and to really expand our services and provide a wider reach here in town," said Chin.

He said the agency plans to soon begin taping a monthly show for local cable access, and Biron will be the subject of the first segment, which will probably air in September.

"Hopefully that will help us expand our services even further... making sure the people of Shrewsbury have these vital services in place," he said.

The non-profit organization was founded in 1983 at the urging of a Westborough District Court judge, disturbed by what he saw as an escalating juvenile delinquency problem in town.

Its scope later expanded to address broader family concerns, including separation, divorce, depression, anxiety, bereavement, domestic violence, and homelessness, offering counseling, education and advocacy to the town's families regardless of their ability to pay. Services have included therapy and support groups for individuals, couples and families; intervention in situations of domestic violence and homelessness; and fuel, food, and housing assistance.

According to a 2003 letter from then-Executive Director June David-Fors, SCS served more than 1,200 families in 2002 -- 68 percent of whom "fall in the no-income or low-income range."

About half the agency's annual budget has always comes from Town Meeting, but the amount has been shrinking steadily since 2002, when the organization got $103,000. It received $100,000 in 2003, and $80,000 this year.

As a result, Chin said the group has sought larger grants, solicited more donations, and used interns and volunteers more.

"The cut in funding has definitely been harmful to our budget process," he said.

With Chin's appointment in March, Sampson said, the agency is going through a transition period, and its goals include specializing in youth programs and increasing its visibility in town.

"They've just hired a second counselor," Sampson said. "The staff has been making contacts throughout town. The break-in period is going on very, very nicely."

Chin, who most recently ran a treatment program for adolescents at Framingham's Wayside Youth and Family Support Network, said one of his major initiatives will be to set up after-school programs for middle school and high school age kids.

He said some suspect adolescents in the June 6 vandalism at the American Legion post on School Street, in which a swastika and obscenities were smeared on the veterans group's property.

"It's disturbing. It's more prevalent than folks might realize," said Chin. "There are some youth out there that might be involved in some activities that really are disruptive and dangerous. It's an opportunity for our agency to provide a place for youth to address those problems."