Family Connection, Inc.

What Family Connection, Inc. does

Family Connection, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1976 and headquartered in Alabaster, Alabama, that serves youth in crisis and families across the state. Its service portfolio is organized around three pillars: shelter (Emergency Helpline, Runaway/Homeless Youth Center, Residential Youth Shelter, Project HOPE Outreach Center in Birmingham), safety (Safe Place network membership), and counseling (Therapeutic Outreach Prevention and the Counseling Program). Programs are therapeutic, trauma-informed, and delivered free of charge to beneficiaries, with output metrics of 300+ youth and families served, 1,500+ hours of counseling, 1,290 survival aid packets, and 3,000+ meals.

The underlying technology is minimal: Family Connection operates as a service-delivery nonprofit with no proprietary technology platform, no mobile app, no API, and no disclosed digital infrastructure beyond a WordPress-based website and social media channels. Revenue is generated through donations and charitable contributions from individuals and corporate donors, supplemented by partnership funding from United Way and other community organizations. The go-to-market model is community-led: awareness and donor/volunteer acquisition through Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, community events, and an Advisory Council.

The organization is governed independently as a private nonprofit with a 15-person staff led by Executive Director Jennifer Ellison, and a board of directors. A 2025-2027 Strategic Plan published in 2024 prioritizes serving more youth, achieving greater impact, elevating brand awareness, and building financial sustainability. Geographic scope is limited to Alabama, with concentrated service in Alabaster and Birmingham.

Name

Family Connection, Inc.

Legal name

Family Connection, Inc.

Website

https://familyconnection-inc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Family Connection, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1976 in Alabaster, Alabama, providing free, trauma-informed shelter, safety, and counseling services to youth in crisis and families across Alabama, funded through donations and United Way partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth and Family Social Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH)

Keywords

• Youth crisis services
• Emergency youth shelter
• Family counseling services
• Crisis intervention programs
• Nonprofit social services

Headquarters

HQ city

ALABASTER, Alabama

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Revenue generated through individual donations, corporate donations, and charitable contributions from the community to fund shelter, counseling, and outreach programs for youth in crisis.
2. Partnership Funding: Funding received through partnership with United Way and other community organizations to support operational programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Family Connection, Inc. provides free, trauma-informed emergency shelter, crisis intervention, counseling, and outreach services for youth in crisis and families in Alabama. Its programs include a 24/7 emergency helpline, a runaway and homeless youth center, a residential youth shelter, the Project HOPE street outreach center, the Safe Place referral network, the Therapeutic Outreach Prevention program, and a counseling program. Services are delivered directly through physical facilities and telephone response, with no fees charged to beneficiaries.

Product overview

Family Connection, Inc. offers a unified suite of youth crisis intervention and support services organized around shelter, safety, and counseling. The core offerings include the Emergency Helpline (24/7 crisis support), Runaway/Homeless Youth Center, Residential Youth Shelter, Project HOPE Outreach Center, Safe Place program, Therapeutic Outreach Prevention (TOP), and Counseling Program. These programs work together to provide immediate crisis response through shelter and helpline services, ongoing therapeutic support through counseling and TOP, and street-level outreach through Project HOPE, all delivered within a therapeutic, trauma-informed framework.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Runaway/Homeless Youth Center Emergency shelter and crisis intervention services for runaway and homeless youth in Alabama, providing safety and immediate support for young people in crisis.
• Residential Youth Shelter Therapeutic care and support for youth in crisis, offering a safe and nurturing residential environment for young people in need.
• Project HOPE Outreach Center Street outreach program supporting Birmingham's runaway, homeless, and street youth with essential care and resources.
• Safe Place Program connecting youth to immediate safety and help through a network of trusted community resources, providing a vital referral pathway for runaway and homeless youth.
• Therapeutic Outreach Prevention (TOP) Community and school-based services to prevent youth crises and promote well-being, providing therapeutic outreach in schools and community settings.
• Counseling Program Mental health and well-being counseling services supporting youth and families, providing therapeutic support for those in crisis.
• Emergency Helpline 24/7 helpline providing immediate assistance to youth in crisis, offering support, guidance, and access to vital resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ youth and families served annually
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• United WaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with United Way for community support and funding. Family Connection partners with United Way to strengthen the financial position and community impact of youth shelter, safety, and counseling programs in Alabama.
• Safe PlacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership in the Safe Place network, connecting youth to immediate safety and help through a network of trusted community resources. Safe Place provides a vital referral pathway for runaway and homeless youth.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Covenant House: Covenant House is a national nonprofit providing shelter, crisis care, and youth-focused services to runaway and homeless youth across the U.S. and Latin America. It is comparable as a larger, multi-site peer operating in the same youth crisis and shelter category as Family Connection.
• Youth Villages: Youth Villages is a large nonprofit providing residential, crisis, and family-based intervention services for at-risk youth across multiple states. It is comparable as a regional-to-national peer with overlapping youth crisis, shelter, and family counseling programs.
• Children's Aid Society: Children's Aid Society provides a broad portfolio of youth and family services including counseling, shelter-adjacent supports, and community-based crisis intervention. It is comparable as a larger, multi-service incumbent with overlapping youth and family support offerings.

Regional players

• Daniel Kids: Daniel Kids is a Florida-based nonprofit serving at-risk youth and families with counseling, shelter, and behavioral health programs. It is comparable as a Southeast regional peer operating overlapping youth crisis, counseling, and family support services.
• McKinney-Vento State Coordinators (Alabama): Alabama's state-level McKinney-Vento education coordinators identify and serve homeless and unaccompanied youth within public schools. They overlap with Family Connection's TOP and outreach work as a regional, publicly funded peer serving the same at-risk youth population.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Alabama: Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Alabama provide youth development, prevention, and after-school programming in the Birmingham area. They are a regional peer addressing at-risk youth in the same geography as Family Connection, with overlapping prevention and family engagement focus.

Direct peers

• National Runaway Safeline: National Runaway Safeline operates the 24/7 crisis helpline and online services for runaway and homeless youth nationwide. It is a direct peer in the youth crisis helpline and safety category that Family Connection serves locally in Alabama.
• Safe Place (National Network): Safe Place is a national network connecting youth in crisis to immediate safety through partner sites and resources. Family Connection is a Safe Place site in Alabama, making the network a direct operating-system peer in the same youth safety referral framework.

Others

• United Way of Central Alabama: United Way of Central Alabama is a regional funding and partner organization for many youth and family service nonprofits in the Birmingham/Alabama area. It is comparable as a funder and ecosystem partner connected to Family Connection's core United Way relationship.

Emerging players

• Star House (Columbus, OH): Star House is a nonprofit drop-in and outreach center serving homeless youth with shelter, food, and case management. It overlaps with Family Connection's Project HOPE outreach model for street and runaway youth as a similar-mission, smaller-scale peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FamilyConnectionAL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/family-connection-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/familyconnectional

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Family Connection, Inc.