Organization Description
Human services agencies function as community-based organizations aimed at tackling a particular problem or a set of issues relevant to a significant population of clients. In particular, this organizational analysis report is designed to identify the performance characteristics and theoretical basis for the agency that provides human services to the community low-income population who resides in Fulton County in Atlanta, Georgia. The agency’s title is the Health and Human Services Division, which is a governmental institution that provides its services in the areas of healthcare, accommodation, and housing to ensure the well-being of the community (Fulton County Health Services, 2022; Fulton County Human Services, 2022). As a large agency, it serves the residents of Fulton County and the city of Atlanta, Georgia.
Within the scope of its performance, there are two primary domains, namely health and human services. Thus, the agency’s core competence is related to the arrangement and implementation of community programs and the provision of resources for the community’s good health and living (Fulton County Health Services, 2022; Fulton County Human Services, 2022). Overall, the Health and Human Services Division deals with a wide spectrum of services and offers multiple programs, including support for mental, environmental, public, and nutritional health, addiction treatment, HIV management, fair housing, financial management education, and others (Fulton County Health Services, 2022; Fulton County Human Services, 2022). Thus, the needs of the target community are addressed sufficiently.
The organization’s fit within the community might be attributed to the acclaimed targeting of the services the agency develops on the basis of the community’s specific needs. Indeed, the demographic characteristics and the health and human service needs of the population inform the spectrum of services provided by the agency. The primary community includes low-income or disadvantaged populations, including women, children, the elderly, as well as other individuals that face risks in terms of their physical and mental health and have challenges accessing proper housing or accommodation (Fulton County Health Services, 2022; Fulton County Human Services, 2022). Since vulnerable populations are commonly challenged with adequate access to health care and suffer from limited resources when managing diseases or safe living, the agency proportionately supports the target community.
Some of the specifically designed programs illustrate the precision of the organization’s work in addressing the problems of the community of low-income individuals. For example, the Health and Human Services Division implements such programs as HIV services, homeless services, human trafficking, and opioids and addiction (Fulton County Health Services, 2022; Fulton County Human Services, 2022). Indeed, since the representatives of the economically underprivileged community are disproportionately exposed to the risks of developing addictions, becoming victims of human trafficking, homelessness, or being HIV positive, these exemplified programs provide the individuals with the necessary specialized and professional services aimed at bridging the gap caused by economic disparities.
The Organization’s Mission Statement
Like any other agency, the Health and Human Services Division has its mission statement that concisely and clearly defines the purpose of the organization’s performance. In particular, the mission statement of the agency holds that the organization works to provide the community “with services and information for good health in body and mind” (Fulton County Health Services, 2022, para. 1). In addition, it states that its mission is to “provide resources to improve the quality of life in Fulton County neighborhoods in need of resources to enhance the quality of life, ensure residential housing safety and support fair housing for all” (Fulton County Human Services, 2022, para. 1). The organization claims to be particularly concerned with delivering its services with respect to citizens’ dignity. Thus, the mission statement of the agency reflects its core values and purpose.
Services Provided through the Organization
The range of services provided by the organization to the community is validated by the scope of issues the target audience faces. There are several types of services offered by the Health and Human Services Division to the residents of Fulton County and the city of Atlanta regarding health issues. The behavioral health services provided by the agency include mental health behavioral sessions aimed at the improvement of the health of individuals (both adults and children) with behavioral and developmental disabilities (Fulton County Health Services, 2022). Environmental health services aim to tackle the issues related to the treatment and prevention of illnesses caused by the environment (Fulton County Health Services, 2022). Similarly, nutritional health and public health services include programs and interventions for addressing prevalent diseases and undernutrition concerns of the target population. HIV services the agency offers include programs and community services aimed at supporting individuals with HIV-positive statuses (Fulton County Health Services, 2022). Furthermore, human trafficking and opioid and addiction programs are delivered to the population at a high risk of being exposed to such problems.
As for the human services that the agency offers primarily include programs, grants, and community services aimed at housing management. In particular, the agency initiates community block grants to facilitate suitable living environments and urban settings for low-income communities (Fulton County Human Services, 2022). Housing funding programs and community home repair services are offered to support vulnerable populations in obtaining proper living conditions (Fulton County Human Services, 2022). Moreover, homeless services are designed to tackle particular issues with the living experiences of the homeless in the county. Similarly, the agency initiates interventions and programs for fair housing and neighborhood stabilization (Fulton County Human Services, 2022). In such a manner, the variety of services provided by the Health and Human Service Division of Fulton County fully meets the community’s needs.
The Primary Populations Served by the Organization
The organization primarily aims to serve the population of low socioeconomic status. Individuals of different gender, ages, ethnicity, and race are included as a primary population targeted by the agency. Since these populations commonly suffer from the scarcity of resources and access to proper housing and healthcare, it is vital that the Health and Human Service Division arranges and implements programs and funding for the making their life better (Fulton County Health Services, 2022; Fulton County Human Services, 2022). Moreover, as illustrated by the description of the scope of services of the organization, the primary population particularly includes the individuals with severe health issues, such as HIV or addiction, as well as the homeless and human trafficking victims (Fulton County Health Services, 2022; Fulton County Human Services, 2022). Such a diverse target population requires adequate culturally competent service delivery, the quality of which will be addressed in the next section of this report.
The Organization’s Cultural Competence
When evaluating the quality of cultural competence of the human service agency, one should clearly identify the concept of cultural competence. According to Greene-Moton and Minkler (2020), “cultural competence comprises behaviors, attitudes, and policies that can come together on a continuum that will ensure that a system, agency, program, or individual can function effectively and appropriately in diverse cultural interaction and settings” (p. 142). While organizational competence might be difficult to estimate as a whole, it is important to understand that the core values and principles of organizational performance should be tied with the individual behavior of the stakeholders involved in the delivery of the services to the primary community.
As for the Health and Human Services Division of Fulton County and the city of Atlanta, Georgia, the organization’s cultural competence might be implied in the mission statement that addresses respect and dignity of all citizens regardless of their cultural background (Fulton County Human Services, 2022). For example, the service delivery accounts to the community do not include any references to discrimination or bias, which demonstrates that the organization performs at a high level of cultural competence. The analysis of the agency’s services and articulation of its purpose shows that there are no prejudiced or stereotypical references toward any minority. In particular, the agency recognizes the diversity of the served population with precise identification of the health and human service needs each of them might be facing due to their disadvantaged status. Thus, one might state that the behaviors of the agency representatives and the overall system of relationships and program planning in the organization are characterized by a proper level of cultural competence, which is an important indicator of the quality of the organization’s performance.
Theoretical Grounds for Client Engagement at the Organization
An important aspect of a human service organization’s performance is the ability to plan and implement programs and interventions capable of reaching the primary population. In this regard, it is essential to analyze how the Health and Human Service Division integrates the theories of human behavior and the social environment to engage its clients. In particular, one of the relevant theories that might apply to the analysis is the transpersonal theory. According to Lee (2019), “transpersonal theories provide the social work profession with an alternative framework by which social work professionals can recognize the potential for extended human developmental capacity” (p. 30). Indeed, approaching the problems the served community faces from this perspective allows for emphasizing the strengths of the individuals and the community as a whole to encourage their coping capabilities.
The agency’s variety of services and the facilitation of funding and interventions for the target population show that the organization uses the transpersonal theory adequately. Indeed, the engagement of clients is characterized by the articulation of the benefits that the community is capable of obtaining when using the proposed services. The offering of the programs within the health and human service dimensions is promoted in a manner that relates to the community and empowers their reference to the agency to obtain help and support (Fulton County Health Services, 2022; Fulton County Human Services, 2022). Thus, the transpersonal theory helps in characterizing the ways of client engagement.
Another theory that might be referenced to identify the approaches to client engagement used by the Health and Human Service Division is the systems theory. This theoretical approach holds that people’s behaviors are the result of a compound influence of the social environment manifested through a variety of systems (Zastrow et al., 2019). According to this theory, the vulnerable communities are exposed to the factors in the systems they are engaged in, which provokes particular risks. The Health and Human Service Division’s client engagement is characterized by a proper account of the systems, which is demonstrated by the subdivision of the programs depending on the problem specifics and their system-related features (Fulton County Health Services, 2022; Fulton County Human Services, 2022). For example, the reference to nutritional health, addiction, or homelessness implies the system theory’s concept of the clients being the victims of the factors in their families, educational institutions, or workplace (Zastrow et al., 2019). Thus, the appeal to the causes of the problems and the means for their solving helps the organization engage its clients.
Technology the Organization Uses to Serve Its Clients
In the contemporary digitalized world, the use of technologies is an inherent aspect of any organization’s performance. Thus, technologies constitute an important aspect of the Health and Human Service Division’s work with clients. According to Abubakari et al. (2020), technology might benefit the field of human services in a physical and informational way. Firstly, a physical advantage of technology implies the availability of services through communication technologies if the clients are isolated or remotely located. It is relevant to the analyzed agency since it initiates online interventions for remote clients (Fulton County Health Services, 2022). Secondly, the informational benefit is manifested through the ease of information available that helps communities find and use necessary data (Abubakari et al., 2020). Indeed, the online resources posted on the organization’s website illustrate that the communication technologies are used to facilitate the informational benefit for the clients.
References
Abubakari, M. R., DiNicola, K., & Lee, W. (2020). Empirical insights on technology use for navigating human services. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 38(4), 331-351.
Fulton County Health Services. (2022). Web.
Greene-Moton, E., & Minkler, M. (2020). Cultural competence or cultural humility? Moving beyond the debate. Health Promotion Practice, 21(1), 142-145.
Lee, J. H. (2019). Integration of spirituality into the strengths-based social work practice: A transpersonal approach to the strengths perspective. Journal of Sociology, 7(2), 25-35.
Zastrow, C., Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hessenauer, S. L. (2019). Empowerment series: Understanding human behavior and the social environment. Cengage Learning.