Military and Family Support Center

Military and Family Support Centers provide information, education and support programs to help balance the demands of military life. Offerings include:

• Deployment support to assist you and your family during all phases of the deployment cycle. Learn more about deployment support.
• Relocation assistance to help you prepare for an upcoming move and get settled into your new location. Learn more about the military Relocation Assistance Program.
• Confidential non-medical clinical counseling provides support for a wide range of issues from marital conflicts and stress management to coping with grief and deployment adjustments Learn more about confidential non-medical counseling.
• Personal and family life education assists with developing knowledge and skills to help you navigate your mobile military life.
• Personal financial readiness assists you and your family in building and maintaining your financial readiness.
• Employment assistance supports career exploration, education, training and licensing, career connections and employment readiness for military spouses, transitioning service members, and other family members. Learn more about the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program, or SECO.
• Information and referral can assist you in identifying and clarifying needs and locating and connecting to services and programs available both on and off your installation.
• Morale, Welfare and Recreation, or MWR services provide lots of ways for you to connect with friends and others for entertainment, rest and relaxation — all at reduced or no cost. Learn more about MWR programs and services.
• The Transition Assistance Program provides the information, skills and knowledge necessary for a successful transition from military to civilian life. Learn more about transition assistance programs and resources.

Military and Family Support Centers may provide other programs such as the following:

Exceptional Family Member Program

Family Advocacy Program

New Parent Support Program

Federal Voting Assistance Program

Services may vary by location and installation. Use the Search tool to find contact information for your installation Military and Family Support Center. Just enter your installation name, Zip code or state.

The United States Army Garrison Presidio of Monterey’s Army Community Service is located in the Stilwell Community Center, Building 4260, Gigling Road on Ord Military Community.
Call 831-242-7660 or DSN 312-768-7660. Among the programs ACS offers are the following:

Army Family Action Plan -- The AFAP program is a grassroots level process that identifies issues of concern affecting service members and their families. Its mission is to provide service members and families with a mechanism to influence quality of life changes by alerting military leadership to critical well-being concerns.

Army Family Team Building/Outreach Program -- AFTB is a progressive program providing training and information to spouses, service members, civilians and family members to support the total military effort. It is AFTB’s mission to educate and train all of the military in knowledge, skills and behaviors designed to prepare military families to move successfully into the future.

The purpose of the Outreach Program is to enhance readiness and retention by helping military families develop a strong sense of self-reliance and belong to the Presidio of Monterey community.

Army Emergency Relief’s Personal Financial Management Program -- AER provides emergency financial assistance to all branches of the armed forces (active duty and retired) and family members, including widows and orphans of deceased service members. Professional assistance is available to military families in the form of budget counseling and debt consolidation. PFMP is a program to assist in sustaining financial self-sufficiency through information on the Thrift Savings Plan, consumer and credit issues and predatory lending.

Family Advocacy Program -- The FAP is dedicated to the prevention, education, prompt reporting, investigation, intervention and treatment of spouse and child abuse. Seminars and workshops are available to commanders, units and family support groups. Referrals are made to agencies that can most appropriately assist in providing counseling, foster care, crisis intervention, emergency housing and legal services.

Exceptional Family Member Program -- The EFMP is a mandatory enrollment program providing information and referral services for service members and their families who have special needs (medical, emotional, developmental and educational). An Exceptional Family Member is defined as a child or adult family member with a physical, emotional, developmental or intellectual disorder that requires long-term special treatment, therapy, education, training or counseling. Special needs range from learning disabilities such as dyslexia to medical conditions such as epilepsy, Down syndrome, blindness or other severe physical limitations. The program works with other military and civilian agencies to provide comprehensive and coordinated community support, housing, educational and medical and personal services to families with special needs. Services include information and current listings of agencies, services and support groups in the area.

Information and Referral Program -- An integral function of ACS, the I&RP can assist you in locating needed services and programs available on your installation, through civilian agencies in the local community and connect you to national resources.

Employment Readiness Program -- The ERP provides employment assistance to family members in acquiring skills, networks and resources that will allow them to participate in the workforce and develop a career and/or work plan. The training and information provided can assist you in identifying and reaching your employment and career development goals, manage the challenges associated with a mobile lifestyle and develop job search skills.

Army Volunteer Corps Program -- Volunteering provides the opportunity to make a significant contribution to the community, achieve satisfaction, learn new skills, gain work experience, meet new friends and have fun. Presidio volunteer opportunities and information are available at ACS.

Relocation Readiness Program – The RRP provides information, referral, resources and tools to help you with permanent change of station moves and post-move orientations. The ACS Loan Closet, a lending service that offers small household items (tableware, cooking utensils, irons, car seats) will help families set up housekeeping upon arriving or leaving the post, when their household goods are in transit. The RRP also assists with in-transit emergencies by providing classes on move-related topics such as individual PCS planning. We serve as the liaison for citizenship, immigration and multicultural diversity information, and provide outreach to waiting families.

Newcomer Spouse Orientation -- Orientations are offered quarterly to assist new personnel and their families with information provided by various agency subject matter experts on community resources available.