A National Imperative: Joining Forces to Strengthen Human Services in America (Jan 2018)

of return metrics, and the variation among those which are espoused in particular rules and regulations across jurisdictions, is a barrier to developing a simplified “common language” for demonstrating and discussing positive impacts and should be rationalized. In addition, regulators should identify and address any rules and practices that may prevent CBOs from earning reasonable margins on their contracts, which would work against funding models that include performance-based incentive payments.

CONCLUSION

This report advances several important arguments about human services CBOs:

• • Human services CBOs, both small and large/operationally complex institutions, require sophisticated management and administration • • The services provided by these CBOs are of critical important to their recipients, which include roughly 1 in every 5 Americans: housing, counseling, nutritional support, and employment training. These services make it possible for recipients to live productive, healthier lives • • The value provided and created by CBOs extends well beyond the recipients of services − − Employees: Over three million Americans earn their living by working for human services CBOs, many in skilled jobs requiring extensive training − − Communities: The communities in which CBOs operate benefit both from this employment, from the economic activity associated with it, and from the enhanced productivity − − National economy: These benefits extend to the national economy – human services CBOs generate in excess of $200BN in direct economic activity, with additional multiplier effect as CBO employees spend their wages and as vendors to CBOs also benefit • • The potential value is even greater. Investment in proven, “upstream” human services has the potential to transform some of our society’s most vexing and expensive problems – including our healthcare system and our judiciary/corrections system Realizing this transformative potential is both a huge opportunity and a huge adaptive challenge. We have identified several important barriers that must be overcome, including organizational barriers between and among CBOs, government agencies and philanthropy, human capital challenges, and inadequate technology. The simplest and most foundational challenge is financial: many CBOs are financially strapped, and lack the capacity to perform at their highest potential, invest in new capabilities and improvements, to weather financial “bumps in the road”, or to address the other challenges that they face.

We have identified five “North Star” initiatives which we believe the broader set of human services stakeholders – including CBOs, government agencies, private funders, regulators,

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