Assignment

Funding in Human Services

Name

Institutional Affiliations

Funding in Human Services

Human services agencies have a main goal which is improving the overall quality of life of the populations. The agencies may include the non-profit agencies, government agencies and private sector agencies all with a mandate of enhancing the wellbeing and improving the lives of human beings. Human services agencies promote improved delivery systems by improving accessibility, accountability and coordination among professionals within the agency.

Most of the Human Services agencies rely on funding in order to deliver their services efficiently. However, several factors need to be considered when funding Human Services agencies.

The first one is the type of agency; there are different types of human services agencies across the country each offering various services, for example, providing housing, helping poor families, feeding the hungry among other services. Before funding an agency, one must consider the type of services they offer, and then determine whether they need the funding and what type of funding they require. This is important because some agencies have a history of providing services only on paper just to get funding and then misusing these funds. It is also important to know the budget of these agencies and determine how much of the budget the funds can cover (Ezell, & Patti, 1990).

The second factor is how well the agency performs and how it utilizes its funds. Most organizations and individuals who fund human services organization are keen to know how the organization spends its resources, the projects which will be allocated the money, and the impact these projects will have on the society. They need the assurance that their resources will be utilized well. Agencies are also required to give regular updates on the progress of the funded projects. This will help to ensure the money and resources are utilized well and encourage the one giving the funds to give more funds in the future.

Another important consideration is how long the agency has been in existence and the projects it supports or services offered by the agency. Some agencies are not genuine or may not be offering all the services as they are required to. Individuals and organizations who plan to fund any human service agency should consider how long the agency has been functioning, and how it utilizes its funds. This is because some agencies are out there just to attract donors for their own selfish gains (Ezell, & Patti, 1990). However, agencies which have been in existence for quite some time are the best to fund because such agencies have projects going on, and they know and understand some of the problems they need to tackle. Such agencies also know how to utilize the funds, the consequences of not utilizing funds well and the projects they need to give priority to.

It is also important to consider the projects the agency is offering or supporting. This will help to determine the amount of money they need and will help to keep track of these resources and projects. It is also important to consider whether the agency is willing to comply with the terms of the grant or funding and report on the outcome of the project. Some agencies are not willing to comply with the terms and conditions, but for anyone funding such agencies it is good to know how the resources are utilized and the outcome of the projects they funded (Lewis, Packard, & Lewis, 2011).

Relationship with current and previous funder is also another key consideration. Some agencies receive funding from different organizations and individuals. Before funding these agencies, the one providing the funds should understand how the agency has utilized the resources given to them previously, whether the funders were happy with the way their funds were utilized etc. This will give a clear indication of how the money will be utilized and whether the money they give to the agency will be utilized well or not. Nobody would want to fund an organization which has a history of misappropriating funds or frustrating those who fund them. The organization funding the agency may consider sourcing information from the public on how the Human service agency they are funding operates (Lewis, Packard, & Lewis, 2011). Such information will be useful in laying out funding procedures and follow up of the resources given.

References

Ezell, M., & Patti, R. J. (1990). State human service agencies: structure and organization. Social Service Review, 64(1), 22-45.

Lewis, J. A., Packard, T. R., & Lewis, M. D. (2011). Management of human service programs. Cengage Learning.

http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/what-is-human-services