Social Services -- Blog # 4

Deemed as morally fit, social services are widely accepted and admired; they provide a safety net for those in need. It is interesting the wide array of social services that exist such as day care, emergency and relief services, community food services, and homeless shelters (O'Neill 73). It is important to note that while these organizations are private, currently sixty percent of the revenue comes either directly or indirectly from the government under grants, performance contracts, and fee for service agreements (O'Neill 77). The alternative to this would be the "European Model" where the government provides all the services (O'Neill 82). I feel like the duel approach is best, it encourages both public and private funding, and this leading to a greater amount of social services overall.

I looked into what types of grants are available and how to apply for them. It turns out that there is a search engine that assists you in finding out what kinds of grants are available. The Service Coordinators in Multifamily Housing Program for example had $31,000,000 in available federal grant money. The website also had tools on registering your agency as well as grant writing tools.  This website really put it into perspective how much grant money is out there and how easy it is to get as long as you meet the requirements. Non-profit nation stated that 12.4 billion dollars was allocated in government grants to social service organizations in 1997 alone (O'Neill 78).


 http://www.grants.gov/search/category.do


Given government support of social service organizations, it is important to note the issues involved as public dollars from taxes are supporting private organizations.  In the supreme court case, Boy Scouts v. Dale, it upheld the exclusion of homosexuals from the organization. This demonstrates just one example how the government is supporting discrimination by giving tax payer money to these organizations. In this case, it was ruled that allowing homosexuals into the organization would violate its founding principles; it just seems unclear where to draw the line. It was decided under the first amendment freedom of speech which seems to run in conflict with the 14th amendment of equal protection. Let it be noted, that the government controls the grants, and controversial organizations would likely receive less funds. The City of San Francisco excluded the salvation army from social service contracts, this since it did not extend benefits to "unmarried partners", such as the gays and lesbians (O'Neill 85). A case brief outlines the opinions of the court below for Boy Scouts v. Dale.

http://www.oyez.org/cases/1990-1999/1999/1999_99_699

It seems that the government and private organizations each have a role in providing welfare. For example, the  food stamps program in Oregon, and food for lane county both are oriented towards feeding those in need. What I  like about food for lane county, those who need help are able to access it quickly; there is no formal application process that approves and denies participants. In contrast, the food stamp program through the state of Oregon has a number of requirements for someone to become eligible, and there are further requirements dictating how much someone recieves. There was a calculator on their website listed here that calculates how much someone receives https://apps.state.or.us/fsestimate/. The food stamp program functions as supplementary income, it seems that while most people do actually need the help, there are a number of those who simply qualify and therefore abuse the system. Below I listed links to the food stamps program and food for lane county to compare the two programs which seem to have similar goals.

http://foodforlanecounty.org/
http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/assistance/foodstamps/foodstamps.shtml

I thought it was interesting how federal policy regarding social service organizations has changed over time. Prior to the 1930's and 1940's, it was a different time with far less problems than today; the common help came from family at that time. The new deal began the role of the government in providing the social services in light of the great depression. The government role transitioned to private organizations during the Reagan era of the 1980's. However, it seems that federal programs were cut, and the same allocation of funds did not go towards supporting the private sector. It seems that this trend continued until recently with Obama using the government to create large scale programs. The 1.3 trillion dollar stimulus package greatly increased the role of government programs as well as social service organizations. I think it is interesting how we are trying to stimulate the economy but cut the national debt at the same time.

Outlined in non-profit nation, the private sector often complains about non-profits, in that they crowd out business. For example, the YMCA could hurt a local fitness club, and in a town where there may not be enough room for both to exist. Personally, I feel like non-profits are focused on efficency, and they provide a good or service at a cheaper rate than private industy. If this is harmful to the priate sector, it does not occur on a  large scale, and it seems like those receiving help would not get it otherwise. Looking into the efficiency of non-profits I researched ELAW using the Guidestar search engine. I thought it was interesting that the executive director, Harvard alumni, gave up large six figure salaries to work with ELAW. It just goes to show how cause oriented organizations are able to attract skilled workers who give up higher wages elsewhere to do some good in the world.