This paper addresses the need for a working partnership between the formal social service system and information network systems in light of decreasing resources and increasing needs of clients. The development of the Community Service Society Natural Supports Program (NSP), a project providing services to families caring for frail older relatives…

Summarizes data showing the detrimental effects to the health of the elderly that are associated with diminution of supportive interpersonal ties. Describes six programs that illustrate the range of diversity of tasks involved in the provision of supportive associations for the elderly. (Author/GC)

Characteristics of the target population, services, and potential source of helpers are determining factors in the cost effectiveness of home health services. Welfare of patients in the experimental group was improved, and lower probability of residential care helped keep costs down. (JAC)

Recent research suggests that approximately one-third of homeless single adults suffer from severe mental illnesses. Discusses federal initiatives undertaken by the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) to encourage research and improve services for this subgroup. Describes the target population, NIMH research findings, and current mental…

This report explores social environmental supports and hazards to emotional, social, and linguistic development in infancy and early childhood. After a discussion of the prevalence and consequences of early language and emotional difficulties, selected studies that examined the effects of social experience on emotional and linguistic growth,…

Drawing on studies by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) and other federal and state organizations, this document summarizes information and findings on six federal block grant programs involving social services, low-income home energy assistance, mental health, community services, maternal and child health, and preventive health. It also…

This paper summarizes reports and research on the homeless in the United States, presents findings of a survey of Red Cross chapters on services to the homeless, and describes programs for the homeless of selected Red Cross chapters. Section 1 discusses definitions of homelessness and methodologies used to count homeless people. The homeless are…

The recent rise in premarital sexual experience and in pregnancy and births among unmarried teenage women from all socioeconomic groups has focused public, professional, and governmental attention on the immediate and long-term implications of teenage pregnancy. The assumption underlying the need for adolescent parent programs in general is that…

This paper examines specific problems facing community service delivery in rural Australia and efforts to overcome these deficiencies. The generic term "rural" is advantageous in that it delineates particular problems facing rural communities, aids in resource allocation, raises public awareness of rural disadvantage, and provides an…

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), established by Congress in 1965, is a unique partnership of federal, state, and local government action attempting to provide every person living in the region with the health and skills needed to compete in everyday life and to attract new industry to the region, thus providing more jobs and a more…

The Carter Administration is adopting a Small Community and Rural Development Policy because: (1) rural America's human and natural resources are a mainstay of the nation's economy and way of life; (2) many rural areas are in the midst of significant economic and demographic change; (3) rural people and communities have greater unmet basic human…