Neighborhood Safety Net Initiative

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

The Neighborhood Safety Net Initiative is the combination of three distinct efforts. This includes the Neighborhood Safety Net Centers, which deliver health and human services to vulnerable and needy residents of the county; the Neighbors Campaign, a community organizing effort to build capacity in the community to access and advocate for services needed by the residents in that community; and the Neighbors in Need Fund, a partnership with philanthropy to strategically generate resources and charitable giving to support the needs of vulnerable residents in the county. The Neighborhood Safety Net Centers (NSCs) were established as a part of the initiative to respond to growing needs in the county brought on by the economic downturn. The NSCs attempted to move services closer to residents, to enhance and expedite the application process and to build a long term natural fabric of support in individual communities. The work included creating community-based sites inside trusted non-profit organizations where public benefits could be accessed and reaching out into the surrounding community to identify needs as well as potential leaders. The linkage of the community organizing, door knocking and the services makes this model unique and provides the opportunity for long term change in the community and in public institutions. The project has seen an increase in the utilization of services since April 2009. The development of these truly collaborative projects has led to a stronger sense of community and more effective procurement of services by the county.