At Samaritas, we have made a concerted effort to focus our work in four core areas of impact: Housing for all, providing Child and Family Services to Michigan families including foster care, family preservation and adoption, welcoming New Americans with the support they need, and helping people connect with mental health and addiction resources.

At Samaritas, compassion is our passion. It’s what we do and who we are. And we understand that in order to make a life-changing difference for someone, that compassion must be put into action. It’s what inspired us to open our doors over 90 years ago and it’s what drives us today as we continue to open our doors and our hearts, changing minds and behaviors to connect and work together to unleash collective energy and have a lasting impact.

Locations and Specialty

Offering Hope and Compassion

• Our Mission: Serving people as an expression of the love of Christ

• Our Vision: We connect people with families and communities, empower them to live their fullest life possible, and create a ripple effect of transformation.

Our Core Values:

• People First

• Quality Service

• Stewardship

• Innovation

• Communication

Guiding Principles:

• We work as one team

• We support and trust each other

• We celebrate differences and respect others

• We find individualized solutions

• We act with integrity and transparency

• We do not cut corners

• We go above and beyond

• We strive for maximum efficiency

• We optimize resources

• We seek opportunities

• We welcome new ideas

• We challenge the status quo

• We lead change

• We listen

• We encourage open, honest dialogue

• We educate

Click Here to View Our 2023 Impact Report

What does Samaritas do?

Value Proposition:

We deliver the home, family and community most connected to the individual relational, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of those we serve, wherever they might fall on the continuum of care.

Through permanence, we deliver a sense of love, belonging, health and well-being that empowers those we serve with a feeling of personal control, confidence and worthiness to live their fullest life. When those we serve reach their full potential they, in turn, promote the dignity of others, creating a ripple effect out into the community that achieves the greatest transformation for all.

Positioning Statement

More than safe harbor in crisis, we come through, when others don’t, with a path home. We connect all people based on their individual circumstances with the families and communities that will empower them to live their fullest life possible.

Potential fulfilled, those we serve then promote the dignity of others, launching into the community an unending ripple effect of transformation.

Our History

Among the immigrants making their way to Detroit at the end of the 19th century were many Lutherans from Germany and Scandinavia. They followed the Biblical imperative to help others in need especially fellow immigrants with food, clothing and jobs.

Congregational outreach efforts came together in 1909 in the Missionsbund (Mission Federation), a group dedicated to "inner mission" (social service) work. The Lutheran Inner Mission League of Greater Detroit was incorporated in 1934, changing its name soon afterward to The Lutheran Charities. Its ministry grew to include child welfare work, a settlement house and services to the elderly. In 1959, the organization merged with a similar group in Saginaw and was renamed Lutheran Social Services of Michigan.

In 2016, in light of the growing diversity of our services, stakeholders, donors, congregational support and community partners, the organization rebranded to Samaritas. The reference to the work of the Good Samaritan in our name is especially fitting as it is consistent with our mission, values and the services we provide. Having a name that intentionally speaks to the biblical mandate to serve others unconditionally and acknowledges the values of diversity and inclusion has been very helpful to our services and organizational development. Listed below is the Executive Team selected to lead Samaritas in spreading ripples of positive change.

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Visit samaritas.org for more information. Follow us on Facebook @IAmSamaritas, Twitter @IAmSamaritas or on Instagram @WeAreSamaritas.