Social services information
Community Resources Information, Inc. (CRI) is a not
for profit, tax exempt 501 c (3) charitable organization whose
principal mission is to develop and maintain social services
information web sites which provide comprehensive database of
social services information relevant to the needs of low and
moderate income families and individuals of all ages. CRI also
works to improve Internet access and training in the use of
computers for persons with low income.
A prototype social services information web site
A prototype web site is currently being developed for
Worcester, Massachusetts (www.WorcesterResources.org),
to provide a centralized source of social services
information.
The intent of the web site is to make the often
complex nature of the social services information system
more transparent and accessible to individuals, providing clear
answers to commonly asked questions, and directing residents
of Worcester to relevant and available sources of support. The
primary target audience is individuals and families in
the lower 40% of household income. Service providers in Worcester
are a secondary, albeit important, audience.
Social services information providers
Social services
information providers and case managers, in turn, may find that
their use of the web site helps them to be more productive as
they can go to one location to obtain regularly updated information
on a myriad of services and programs, thereby reducing
the amount of time spent tracking down information to help their
clients. We are aware that such a web site can by
no means replace an individual who helps link people in need
to appropriate benefits and Social services information.
However, it can facilitate these efforts by helping
consumers become more educated about the benefits available
and the process of obtaining them.
LICENSING
In the near future, CRI expects to develop
similar social services information web
sites in other communities across the country. Each
web site will be tailored to a specific community and will
provide in-depth coverage of social
services information and
resources available in that community.
CRI expects the first users to adopt such a web site
within a community to be service providers,
followed by the consumers of the benefits, programs,
and services described on the web site, once issues
of Internet accessibility low income groups have been addressed.
Community
Resources Information, Inc. will lease the web
site www.WorcesterResources.org as
a template to not-for-profit organizations
or government agencies in other
cities. This template will enable organizations in
other communities to replicate the WorcesterResources.org
web site for their city at a small fraction of
the development cost of the original site. The design and format
of the Worcester web site, information
on federally-funded programs (e.g., food stamps, WIC, TAFDC,
Section 8 subsidized housing, etc.), and its
technological features can be kept intact with
very few modifications needed for a different
community. Tailoring a web site for a new community
would primarily require changing social services information
on state and local programs as well as names and addresses of
service providers. Even so, as the needs of low
income individuals and families and the programs that assist
them are fairly universal across communities,
cities other than Worcester can greatly
reduce the time, effort, and money necessary
to develop a web site for their community by
using WorcesterResources.org as a template.
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