BSHS/335

The family of Woodstock was founded because of the Woodstock Festival that took place in a city 115 miles away. Many people liked the idea of being on their own and living care free. Many young people were sleeping in the parks and roaming around. Many of these people brought very little with them and were looking for food, and shelter. Community people came together and Gail Varsi offered her telephone service and also her home to prevent problems with the people roaming the area and to keep them from being arrested. This was the start of the Family Of Woodstock. Now many volunteers and staff work to answer the phone lines and offer their help. The agency was built to help people. The founder’s committed that the staff would not tell people what to do and pass any judgments on them. Instead they would listen and encourage them to make choices that would benefit them. The staffs’ goal was to refer people to existing agencies, but was also able to fill the gaps when needed. Family of Woodstock has become a lead agency in Ulster and the surrounding areas of homelessness, domestic violence, emergency services, child services, and adolescent services. The Family of Woodstock has met the specialized the needs of the community. They provide many shelters and food programs. Such as Family House, a 14-bed runaway and homeless youth facility; the Darmstadt Shelter for the Homeless, a 19-bed shelter for men and women, primarily in recovery; the Family Inn, a 27-bed shelter for homeless families; the Washbourne House, a 17-bed domestic violence shelter, for women and their children; and two supervised transitional living residences for up to six homeless adolescents each, and, when necessary, their children. They provide childcare programs for the community, case management services to such discreet populations as adult and adolescent substance abusers,