United Way Member Agency    United Way/ CFC #8001

The History of ACTS

Action in Community Through Service of Prince William, Inc. (ACTS) is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization serving the residents of Greater Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park, Virginia.  Established in 1969, ACTS mission was to prevent and alleviate human suffering.

ACTS' founders began by addressing the most basic human needs of food and shelter.  They established Prince William County's first food bank, set up a used furniture distribution system, and developed a homeless shelter in local churches.  In 1969 Prince William had 111,000 residents, today it has 282,060.  The County has grown by 94.9% since 1980, with an average annual growth rate of 3.39%, and projects to grow to over 384,000 by 2020.  The poverty rate has risen to 5.4% (up from 3.2% in 1990).  No longer a rural area, we now face the problems and challenges of a growing suburban community.

As the community has grown, the agency's mission and goals have expanded.  In fact, the demand for services from ACTS has doubled in the past five years.  Our Mission statement has been revised to say: "ACTS is a community organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger, homelessness, and domestic violence, and help people achieve self-support in the Prince William Area."   All of our programs are fee free to clients (except the court ordered anger management classes held through Turning Points - but, if cost is prohibiting and the family is not able to pay - the fees are waived), and eligibility is based on the HUD poverty guidelines.  No one is turned away if need is determined.  ACTS' programs include:

1. Emergency Assistance - distributes food through the Food Pantry and financial assistance for utility cut off notices at the level of need (often coordinated with area congregations and utility companies).
2. Homeless Shelter Program - provides a 15 bed homeless shelter to men, women and children.
3. Transitional Living Program - A Seven unit Transitional Living Program, that is a two-year self-sufficiency program for homeless families.
4. Day Care - Two licensed, subsidized Day Care centers geared especially to the needs of at-risk families and the fee is on a sliding scale-based income.
5. HelpLine - 24-Hour crisis Hot Line that provides support, information and referrals, and a limited Spanish language hotline offered in the evenings.  In addition, HelpLine includes Teleteen, a teen peer hotline and Phone-A-Friend, a "warm" line for latch key children.
6. Turning Points - The county's ONLY Domestic Violence prevention and intervention program.  It includes a safe house for women and children experiencing domestic violence, parenting, court advocacy and counseling services for victims in the Prince William County High Schools.
7. Thrift Stores - Maintains two Thrift Stores that serve as a clearing house for items given free to families in need, and a revenue source for the service programs of ACTS.

The Executive Director manages seven Program Directors who together coordinates over 68 paid staff members and well over 1,900 volunteers.  A membership organization, ACTS derives income and services from individuals as well as churches, businesses, and other community groups.  In addition, it has secured grant money and support from private foundations and government agencies.  A United Way Member Agency, ACTS' overhead is less than 5.9%, one of the lowest of all the United Way Agencies in the National Capital Area.

FACTS ABOUT ACTS

• Provided Food and/or assistance with rent & utilities to 8,677 in the last year through the Emergency Assistance Program
• Provided Emergency Shelter to 159 people in the last year through the Shelter Program
• Turning Points has assisted 1,506 people in domestic violence situations in the last year, over half of them children
• Provided quality Child Care to 133 Children between the two Day Care facilities
• Responded to 8,108 callers to the Help Line Crisis Hotline
• Assisted 9 Families and 31 people with the Transitional Living Program
• Given instruction to 52 people in the Nurturing Parent Classes through the Transitional Living Program

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• Chris Caseman - President
• Sherry Dunphy - Vice President / Administrator
• Karen Smith - Vice President / Programs
• Harold Deadman - Treasurer
• Paul Moessner - Secretary
• John Turnquist, Executive Director

MEMBERS

STAFF

• John Turnquist, Executive Director
• Joann Barron, Deputy Executive Director/Development Director
• Michelle Farley, Child Care Director
• Frances B. Harris, Emergency Assistance Director
• Aletha Martin, Homeless Shelter Director
• Marjorie Pantaleo, Transitional Living Director
• Vickie Graham, HelpLine Director
• Gary Friedman, Thrift Store Director
• Kay Mathews, Turning Points Director