How to Streamline the Safety Net?

We hear it all the time: the social service safety net is convoluted, confusing, and tough to navigate. It's hard to know where to go to find services. Government applications, housing applications, and program requirements are enough to make a person's head spin. But can good marketing - making information more readily available to those who need it - ease the journey through social services?

David Henderson of InforUm wrote a thoughtful post today that raised this very question: what good are social services if nobody knows about them? He writes, "Part of program effectiveness is marketing our services to those who need them most, and making it as easy for people to receive social services as it is to buy books on Amazon.com."

He raises a good point point. Many homeless service providers would appear to be stuck in the dark ages of marketing; a shelter will often pat itself on the back for developing a tri-fold flyer. And who can blame them? Often short-staffed and under-funded, many service providers must carefully maintain a "we've got it together" image while still appearing needy enough to solicit donations. It's a fine line to walk. Besides, service providers aren't a business; there's a limit to the number of clients that can be served, and these days, this number is often maxed out.

Still, this conundrum does not undermine the importance of providing "highly visible and easily navigable" services, as Henderson writes, to ensure that all of those who need help can find it. While social media has become a key marketing tool for nonprofits (and, in some cases, a way of connecting to social services), the digital divide cannot be forgotten. Most homeless people, for example, would never benefit from the "find the nearest homeless shelter" iPhone app.

So what's the answer?

Is it 211, the free and confidential social services hotline provided by United Way? Is it New York City's Department of Client Advocacy, which homeless individuals up with an "expert" to navigate the NYC shelter system?

The best way to find out how people are learning about shelters and services is to ask the experts, the people who have experienced homelessness and found their way to a program. Every shelter, every community, could benefit from asking current/formerly homeless people a simple question: Where did you learn about the services that helped you? Was it on the internet? Word of mouth? A tri-fold flyer? And then, what might have made this information more accessible?

While it may be tempting to compare social services with many of the shiny new innovations happening at companies like Apple an Amazon, it is critical to remember why we exist and who we serve. Social services may never have the branding or design of these private companies, but this does not mean we shouldn't strive to provide the clearest information - the best marketing - that we are capable of.

Image: Mikey G Ottowa