Methodist Children’s Home Society Acquires Community Social Services of Wayne County

DBusiness on CSSWC Acquisition, 7/29/19

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By Tim Keenan

Redford Township’s Methodist Children’s Home Society (MCHS) has acquired Detroit’s Community Social Services of Wayne County (CSSWC), bringing together two organizations with nearly 200 years of combined experience serving Michigan’s underserved children.

The acquisition, according to the entities, is an opportunity to better strengthen programs and services, impacting more children and families through individualized and innovative programming.

“Our focus since we initially began discussions was how to enhance our programs and better serve our families and ultimately, our community,” says Kevin Roach, CEO of MCHS. “As we explored this unique opportunity to partner with such a great organization, it became clear that together, we’d be able to support and serve even more families throughout the region.”

CSSWC, with 73 years of rebuilding broken lives in Detroit, comes under the wing of MCHS, with more than 102 years of providing safety and stability to Michigan’s most vulnerable children. Roach will stay on as CEO after the acquisition, while William “Chuck” Jackson, CEO of CSSWC, will join as a senior executive.

Existing programs will see an uptick in foster care placement, adoption services, residential care, housing services for at-risk mothers, senior services, substance abuse, and community relations. Plans to boost education and independent living programs already are in motion. Early this year, MCHS opened offices in Detroit as part of its strategic plan to reach and serve more families.

The acquisition makes MCHS one of the largest foster care and adoption agencies in Michigan, with an immediate impact on more than 2,500 individuals in the current care of both groups.

MCHS will lead the acquisition in all facets including human resources, finance, programming, development, and communications. Human resources will find the best fit for each role moving forward, with many staff members from CSSWC staying on in either their current or new roles.