MODULE 8: Community-Focused Commitment
Overview:
In the past many social service organizations were seen as vital community resources. Over the years many organizations have lost some of that sense of partnership with their communities. Others have come to see their organizations as “integral parts of the community” and in that process, they have changed their identities. Organizations would be wise to revisit any identity-changing processes that may have moved them away from their community partnerships.
Important components of any identity-changing process that an organization engages in are the things they do within their communities to show that they want to be seen as a community resource. There are family gatherings in almost every community and organizations can join in those gatherings and increase their visibility. By listening at those gatherings and hearing the unmet needs of families, organizations can begin to find ways to help to address those needs. Addressing community needs allows an organization to begin to build trust with the families in the community and demonstrate that they are truly a community-based organization.
The federal legislation of the Families First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) requires much of the planning processes to be done at the state level. State-level planners have typically sought out local communities to actively participate in these planning processes. Local resources and needs should be seriously considered in these plans.
There is a strong belief in utilizing the systems of care model as a guide for the state-level FFPSA planning processes. Systems of care models look to view all available services as community resources that can be coordinated at the local level to achieve better outcomes. Systems of care models tend to move away from efforts to access single services to solve family problems and to move towards community resources being accessed in a coordinated fashion to help meet family needs.
When an organization offers a service to respond to a youth or family problem, they are expected to deliver that service. When an organization acts as a resource to help to meet a youth or family need, they are expected to demonstrate that the youth or family need has been met through a culturally and linguistically sensitive lens. The needs youth and families have that must be addressed will often be very complex. Different providers may often be called upon to work together to meet these needs. It will be difficult for organizations that don’t see themselves as flexible and responsive community resources to be successful under a system of care model.
Resources:
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- Best Practices for Residential Interventions for Youth and their Families A Resource Guide for Judges and Legal Partners with Involvement in the Children’s Dependency Court System
- Community Partnerships: Improving the Response to Child Maltreatment
- Improving Child Welfare Outcomes through Systems of Care: Building the Infrastructure A GUIDE FOR COMMUNITIES
“I can no longer get all the services my family needs at just one agency.”
Strategies:
When human service organizations refer to “communities,” they are usually referring to the geographic areas where the individuals they are serving live and work and raise and educate their children. Developing a “community focus” refers to the efforts organizations put forth to help the families they serve to access the necessary resources needed that will allow families to have their vital needs met in the geographic areas where they are living. The emphasis on developing a “community focus” represents a movement away from organizations trying to solve problems one at a time on their own and toward a realization that organizations must commit to working together to help address the complex needs of communities by acting as collaborative participants in the efforts to strengthen those communities. To accomplish that, an organization needs to be able and willing to join and partner with other organizations within the communities where they are offering services. Organizations must know the array of resources available to the communities they serve, who offer them, how to access them, and then be able to help those they serve to gain access to those vital resources they do not offer.
When an organization is asked to assist a family, in the broadest sense, they are being asked to help those families to become more stable. Stability, as Maslow so wisely identified many years ago, starts with safety and security. Any family that is homeless, unemployed, underemployed or cold, or hungry will have difficulty maintaining their stability. If we are only organized to address mental health needs, we may not be able to effectively help families to increase their levels of stability.
So, what are some of the community resources that are most important for human service organizations to be able to form partnerships with and which groups must organizations also develop close community ties?
CARE MANAGEMENT – The capacity to refer to community organizations and to receive referrals from community organizations is vital capacity for any community-focused organization. Care managers need to know what services are available and how to help those they serve to access and engage them.
EDUCATION – Many human service organizations have found that the networking they do with schools in the community is invaluable. Organizations have many resources that the schools need and” poor home-school links are often present with families they are serving. Many organizations are finding partnerships with schools to be a win/win even when they may additionally offer education services themselves.
EMPLOYMENT – Many of those organizations will serve will be unemployed or underemployed. Being able to help them find a job that will allow them to meet their basic needs may well be the most important thing an organization can do for some families. Many communities have employment networks and employment readiness programs that organizations can join and be active in.
HOUSING – Knowing how to access the housing resources in the community is often a critical capacity for community-focused organizations. Homelessness is a barrier need that must be addressed wherever organizations encounter it with a family they are serving. Inadequate housing can also be a barrier need organizations can help to address.
HOT MEAL AND PANTRY PROGRAMS –. Food scarcity can be a chronic problem for the families and communities we serve. Knowing the locations, schedules, and procedures for accessing these programs can be vitally important for some families.
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS – Many communities have neighborhood associations where the needs of those who live in the neighborhoods are discussed. Attending these meetings can offer rich partnering opportunities and can help to provide a deeper understanding of the challenges many families face.
DAY CARE AND HEAD START –A lack of access to adequate early childhood programs causes underemployment, which in turn, causes a lack of adequate income to meet basic needs. Knowing the procedures for accessing Day Care or Head Start programming can be a special blessing for many families.
EDI DISCUSSION FORUMS – There are forums in many communities where equity, diversity and inclusion issues are discussed. These can be vital forums to expand understanding and can afford opportunities to be participants in community efforts to help to address those important EDI issues.
PLANNING FORUMS – Many communities have forums where service needs and service gaps are discussed. Often these forums look for ways to meet the needs and fill the gaps by working together to find solutions. Organizations are said to be community-focused when they feel a need to be a part of the solution-finding process.
OVERSIGHT ANGENCIES/ PROVIDER ORGANIZATION CONVERSATIONS – It is essential for provider organizations to be asking their public partners what they need service-wise from their provider organization partners. Public sector organizations need to be involving their provider organization sector partners in any strategic planning efforts. Conversations between public/ provider organizations, where community needs are being explored with an eye towards trying to meet the needs together, can be extremely important.
HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS – There will be considerable efforts put forth in the next several years to bring about the integration of physical health care and behavioral health care. Human service organizations would be wise to work to develop partnerships with physical health care providers in their communities.
LAW ENFORCEMENT – Efforts that human service organizations put forth to increase the levels of communication between law enforcement and the communities will prove to be very helpful going forward. Law enforcement in communities is complex because safety and trust must co-exist. Dialogue helps to build that vital level of trust.
RECREATIONAL SERVICES – The youths in our communities have a lot of energy to burn off. They can burn off that energy in good ways or bad ways. Partnering with and then promoting community recreational services offers a good way to involve the youths and to also get their parents involved. Recreational services build a sense of community.
FAITH-BASED COMMUNITIES – Faith-based communities are often the definition of “grassroots efforts.” For many years they were the primary providers of human services in this country. They often do what needs to be done regardless of whether the government is funding those services. Partnerships with faith-based communities can offer a vital link towards helping families to increase levels of stability.
COURTS – When we form partnerships with courts, we open the possibility of helping those we serve who are involved with the courts to have the prospect of a better future. Sometimes courts punish, but often courts are looking for ways to create opportunities for something different and better to happen going forward. Organizations also have a responsibility to educate judges and the legal community on Best Practices for Residential Interventions for Youth and their Families.
“We hate telling our story over and over, why can’t providers work together”?