Military and Family Support Center

Army Community Service assists commanders in maintaining the readiness of soldiers and their families by delivering services that promote self-reliance, resiliency and stability during war and peace. ACS recognizes the Army Family Covenant and the Army Community Covenant by supporting a quality of life that is commensurate with their service. For all Programs and Services, please call: 571-821-7509. ACS is located at 46 Ashburn Drive, Carlisle Barracks, hours of operation at 0730-1600, Monday-Friday. ACS is closed during Federal Holidays and weekends.

ACS has helped thousands of soldiers and their families in their time of need. ACS has expanded services to provide support for those deployed soldiers who have been impacted by repeat deployments and extensions. Their family members have sacrificed and it’s our job to make certain they remain strong, focused and capable to preserve the family unit.

Services Offered

Army Emergency Relief offers emergency financial assistance in the form of no-interest loans and grants to all military personnel – active, retired, Title 10 AGR, and their family members. There are over 30 categories of assistance to include the following categories: food, rent, required travel, utilities, essential car repairs, medical bills, funeral expenses and essential needs, in the event that pay is lost or not received. AERO's can provide information and referral for other local helping agency resources for those not eligible to apply for assistance through AER. AER now has an Online Application Process , click “Apply for Assistance” and follow prompts for the required information to be uploaded and submit a packet. Individuals will be assigned to the closest AER office once the application is complete and submitted.. For one-on-one assistance during duty hours (0730-1600) with the AER portal, contact the AER Specialist. Customers can set up an appointment for assistance at the local office, Building 46, Carlisle Barracks. For help afterhours, weekends or holidays contact soldierportalhelp.org for assistance with Emergency Travel within 12 hours, or help with the portal. AER HQ phone number is: 1(866)-878-6378. Call Carlisle Barracks AER Office at 571-821-7509 for information, an appointment or referral services.

The Army Family Action Plan allows everyone the opportunity to submit their issues, which will then be presented to Army leadership. It is a process that lets soldiers and families say what’s working and what isn’t – and what they think will fix it.

Army Family Team Building is an official Army training program that helps develop ready families and ready soldiers. This program contributes to unit, mission environment and lifestyle by providing them with information, knowledge and skills vital to the readiness of the force.

The Army Volunteer Corps provides assistance in the recruitment, training and recognition of installation volunteers and maintains a database of volunteer positions available on the installation. Volunteering is a great way to keep skills current, meet new friends, gain new skills, give back to the community and build your job skills.

The Employment Readiness Program provides up-to-date support services that help customers make informed decisions when seeking employment, but the program is currently unavailable at this installation. For more information, contact Information and Referral at 571-821-7509.

The Exceptional Family Member Program is a mandatory enrollment support program that works with military and civilian agencies to provide coordinated medical, educational, housing, community support and personnel services to soldiers who have a special needs family member.

The Family Advocacy Program builds healthy families and sustains strong communities by providing comprehensive approaches to prevention, identification and intervention of child and spouse abuse in military families. The program offers classes on parenting, anger management, stress management, marriage enrichment and others, available upon request.

The Financial Readiness Program offers classes on checkbook management, money management and budgeting. Information is available on several other financially related topics of interest to military families. Other classes are available upon request.

The Information, Referral and Follow-up program is designed to link service members and their family members with other military and civilian helping agencies.

The Military and Family Life Counseling program offers confidential short-term, situational, problem-solving counseling services to service members and their families. The service can be provided to individuals, couples, families and groups.

The Mobilization and Deployment Readiness Program is designed to provide resources and support to units, soldiers and families in preparing for pre-deployment, deployment and post-deployment.

The Relocation Readiness Program provides assistance in transition by maintaining current information on installations worldwide. Carlisle Barracks does not have a Lending Closet.

Survivor Outreach Services connects survivors with people who can help you move forward and find strength. Many times after you have lost a loved one, there are unresolved issues or questions that may surface months or years after the loss. We are here to help and provide you with needed resources. SOS demonstrates the Army’s commitment to families of the fallen.

A victim advocate assists those who are victims of domestic violence. This includes safety planning, protective orders, community resource information and referrals.

Mobilization and Deployment

The Mobilization and Deployment program is here to build resilient military Families. The program's primary mission is to ensure Commanders, Soldiers and Family members are prepared for all cycles of the deployment phase. The program found online at Military OneSource provides training to rear detachment teams, Soldier and Family readiness group leaders and unit points of contact to allow them to better help Soldiers and Families. The program also provides deployment and reunion briefings as well as operates a Family Assistance Center during times of deployment, emergencies and natural disasters.

For military members leaving family behind for any reason, such as, training in lieu of travel, or children finishing school year, etc., there are some things you need to consider:

• Power of Attorney - this is important if a family member is left behind and has to do things in the name of the military member.
• Family Care Plan - keep an up-to-date family care plan, with correct names, and contact numbers of those that may have to care for your children.
• Plan My Move creates a custom checklist for your move, filled with information about the tasks you need to complete and how to complete them. Your checklist is tailored to the unique needs that you or your family have. You can save, download, and print your list to update during your moving process and use for future moves. Contact ACS at 571-821-7509.
• Copies of orders - leave extra copies of your orders with a family member.
• Finances - make sure allotments, checkbooks, savings accounts, credit cards, etc, are accessible for family members.
• Vehicles - ensure you have an up-to-date maintenance schedule.
• School information - ensure that all school records are in order for transfer.
• Contact your local airline ticket office for unaccompanied travel arrangements for Family members.

Contact Army Community Service for further information and assistance at 571-821-7509

For job-hunting purposes, be sure to bring with you all employment records and information, resumes, OF 612, SF-171, transcripts, certificates, licenses and SF-50.

If you do not have direct eligibility status or if you have questions, call 571-821-7509.

The Employment Readiness Program includes the following services:

• Job opening and employer lists at the Army Community Service office resource center – Information covers federal, state and private-sector employment, education and volunteer opportunities. Additional information on Appropriated Fund And Non-Appropriated Fund employment positions is located at the Civilian Personnel Office's one-stop shop.
• Individual job and career assistance and counseling are available by appointment.
• A career resource library for on-location and sign-out review and annotated bibliography of career materials is available.
• Employment counseling is not available at Carlisle Barracks at the current time. Family members are encouraged to contact the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities center at 800-342-9647 for assistance. The center is staffed by certified career counselors. Contact Employment Readiness at 571-821-7509.
• My Career Advancement Account
• For information on the My Career Advancement Account and military Spouse Education And Career Opportunities, visit Military OneSource. You may also contact the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities center at 800-342-9647.
• Financial Readiness Program
• The Financial Readiness Program offers a wide range of personal finance and consumer affairs services to Soldiers, retirees and eligible Family members to enhance personal financial readiness and unit readiness and resilience.
• We assist and prepare individualized detailed budgets. This is especially helpful to those who are about to be married, have a child or relocate. For those who experience or anticipate financial hardships, we offer counseling and several publications to help get the situation under control. Clients are encouraged to work with their creditors to gain stable manageable financial positions.
• For more information, contact 571-821-7509.

Army Emergency Relief is located in Army Community Service at 46 Ashburn Drive. For assistance call 571-821-7509 for Information & Referral.

AER will help with emergency financial needs for over 30 categories, some include:

• Food
• Rent
• Utilities
• Emergency transportation
• Vehicle repair
• Funeral expenses
• Medical and dental expenses
• Personal needs when pay is delayed or stolen

The one rule to be considered when asking for help is – Is this an emergency? If so, remember to bring the necessary documents with you:

• Military identification card
• Leave and earnings statement
• Leave/permanent change of station orders
• Other substantiating documents such as car repair estimates, rental agreement, utility bills, etc.

AER now offers an online process. For Active Duty, Retirees or Survivors, please visit armyemergencyrelief.org and click on “Apply for Assistance”. The system will prompt you for the information needed to be uploaded, and will inform you of your eligibility. Once you submit your application, it will be assigned to the closest AER Office. If you need assistance with the process during the duty day, you can make an appointment or call the AER Specialist for guidance or any questions you may have. For assistance with the portal, after hours, weekends or holidays, please contact: soldierportal@aerhq.org. or 1(866)-878-6378. If you are a spouse of a soldier, you must have a power of attorney, military ID card and substantiating documents. American Red Cross no longer assists with the AER process. If you are a Service Member from a different service, please contact your service Aid agency for processing and assistance.

Relocation Assistance

ACS offers Welcome Packets and Deskside Newcomer’s Chats. Newcomers can stop by our office to pick up a Welcome packet or call to make an appointment. Information is provided about programs and services at Carlisle Barracks, DFMWR, ACS and the local community. ACS does not have a Lending Closet. The Army War College, (AWC) manages the inbound process for new students each summer. and they provide a Newcomer's orientation which various organization and points of contact support to provide information for their programs and services. The AWC provides sponsorship support for their new students and their families. ACS also offers a “Kids on the Move" program in partnership with the Child and Youth Center and Child Development Center each Spring. For more information or questions, please call 571-821-7509. Please visit Military OneSource or Plan My Move for additional resources.