Family & Community Services and Portage Industries, Inc. Partner to Create New DD Program

RAVENNA, Ohio - Oct. 20, 2016 - PRLog -- Family and Community Services, Inc. (F&CS) and Portage Industries, Inc. held a meeting last night to announce their collaborative new developmental disabilities program, Unified Resources (UR).

UR is combination of Family and Community Services' Emerald Transportation and POWERCorps programs along with the employment offered by Portage Industries, Inc. This partnership is an answer to the need in the developmental disabilities community for a centralized, easy-to-navigate service provider. One of the purposes of the program is to enrich our client's lives by integrating them into the community in all aspects of their lives.

Along with this comes an official name change to Portage Industries, Inc. whose board of directors has agreed to adopt the Unified Resources name. "What we really want to emphasize to the public and our families is that we will continue to have the same level of care and resources that we've had for over 40 years. One of the largest benefits to our F&CS partnership is the fact that we will be able to offer even more services to our clients," says Phil Miller, CEO of Portage Industries, Inc.

Mark Frisone, executive director of Family and Community Services, Inc. states, "This partnership and collaboration with Portage Industries, Inc. is going to immensely benefit our families in Portage County. Not only are we bringing employment, transportation and recreation services together, but now our clients will have access to all of the programs in the F&CS umbrella." Many of the current programs that could be beneficial for UR clients include: the payee program, counseling services, utility and rent assistance, free furniture and household items, free clothing, food pantries and hot meals.

The Portage Industries, Inc. employees have been on the F&CS payroll since September 1 and the main goal is to have as easy and smooth of a transition as possible.

Family and Community Services, Inc. is one of the largest social service agencies in Northeast Ohio and has spent the past 75 years helping individuals of all ages. The agency covers 21 counties and has more than 71 programs, including the Center of Hope, Kent Social Services, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the County Clothing Center to name a few. Family and Community Services, Inc. assists over 100,000 people on an annual basis and provides life's basic needs to counseling and mentoring services.

Emerald Transportation, an F&CS program, provides both medical and nonmedical transportation services throughout Portage County and has wheelchair accessible vehicles. POWERCorps is an AmeriCorps program of F&CS and provides recreational activities to teens and adults eligible for services from the Portage County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

Portage Industries, Inc. has been providing employment services since 1970. Portage Industries, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that provides employment and human services for people with developmental disabilities. In business for over 45 years, the company operates primarily in Portage County and serves over 200 people with a staff and administration of approximately 15.

For more information visit http://fcsohio.org/index.php/programs/item/447-unifiedres...