CUED
Center
for Urban Economic Development
University of Illinois at Chicago
Households'
Needs and Community Response in Three Chicago Neighborhoods:
The impact of
the New Federalism
Project Number: 186
Report Date: 1984
Author(s): Wim Wiewel, George Hemmens, Charles Hoch, Rojean Madsen, Bill Peterman
Over the past few years, low and moderate income households have been affected by both economic recession and the impact of reductions in funding for social service programs. Research by the Urban Institute has focussed on how the funding changes have affected not-for-profit organizations and how these organizations cope with the increased demand for their services. The research presented here replicates some of this research on a small scale, but extends its significance by comparing the situation of organizations in three areas of Chicago with the needs and coping patterns of households in their service areas.
Organizations appear to have been relatively unaffected by any funding cutbacks, although their sources of funding have changed somewhat. Demand for their services has increased greatly and in response they have added many programs. However, from the perspective of households, formal organizations play a very minor role in the total of all helping behavior experienced. Also, organizations' perceptions of household needs diverge to some extent from the needs expressed implicitly and explicitly by the households themselves.
These findings, if corroborated in a planned second round of surveys, would appear to have implications for the relative emphasis on formal versus informal helping by funding sources and for any analyses of communities based largely on surveys of organizations.
College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs
400 South Peoria Street, Suite 2100, Chicago, Illinois, 60607-7035
Phone: (312) 996-6336 Fax: (312) 996-5766
This website is maintained by Cedric
Williams, Manager System Services,
UIC-Center for Urban Economic Development
at Chicago
