As all eyes are focused on the the White House, Congress and a final deal to raise the debt ceiling (fingers crossed) one thing we can all agree on…the social safety net that we are accustomed to is in store for major changes. This at a time when the economic recovery continues to be fragile and the number of everyday citizens in need of help skyrockets. In an effort to reframe the current discourse, the board of the National Assembly and the National Collaboration for Youth (www.nationalassembly.org) has released a brief entitled, Putting Human Needs on the National Radar Screen. The brief provides nonprofit human service and community development organizations with new messaging and ideas for collaborative action.
According to the press release, the impetus for the brief came from the fact that human services are usually among the first programs to be cut at both state and federal levels and that the public and public officials are not aware of the importance of these programs to vulnerable people.
The brief suggests language but also establishing new narratives about the collective contributions of related human service and community development programs. One such idea is that investments in human services gives society an opportunity to Pay Now vs Pay Later. For example, investing in certain supports for Americans of all ages now can prevent serious costs in the future. Excessive idle time and lack of supervision will ultimately cost young people, their families and society more than child care and youth development programs.
The brief provides concrete ideas for changing the paradigm around human services. Read it here: Putting Human Needs on the National Radar Screen.
