In 1977, the Community Social Services Department was set up by the Archbishop of Glasgow, the late Cardinal Archbishop Thomas Winning, to develop services in response to the levels of poverty and social exclusion that existed in the Greater Glasgow area.

Since 1977, the Community Social Services Department has developed an extensive range of social care services for older people, those with mental health or addiction problems, homeless young people and people with a learning disability or a sensory impairment. The original strategy sought to pioneer new kinds of services, develop projects to meet needs that were otherwise not being met and promote innovative approaches to service delivery, particularly in geographical areas noted for their high levels of social exclusion and lack of resources.

In 2003, after consultation with his advisors and senior officers of the Archdiocese of Glasgow, Archbishop Mario Conti decided that the Community Social Services Department should be set up as an independent organisation. Archbishop Conti was keen that The Mungo Foundation should have the opportunity to develop its own marketing and fundraising strategies, create its own distinctive ethos in the marketplace of care and carry on the traditions of Christian caring in the modern world.