Building a social services portal
Community Resources Information, Inc. (CRI) is currently
constructing a social services portal designed to be a centralized
source of information on the social service benefit programs
available to families and individuals living in and around Worcester,
Massachusetts (www.WorcesterResources.org).
We hope that by creating a centralized database detailing relevant
information we are able to make the process of finding out about
and obtaining social services and benefits much easier and more
coherent than is now the case for residents of most communities.
For
each benefit or social services program covered in the portal,
we provide information on the following:
- What the
benefit/program entails
- Eligibility criteria
- Practical
information on how and where to apply
- Benefit
levels / availability
- Consumer rights and responsibilities.
The content is being written in English and will
eventually be translated into Spanish
as well. Information on the portal is routinely updated to stay current with
changes in programs and benefits as well
as their availability.
The WorcesterResources.org social services web site currently
contains sections on:
- Food Programs (e.g., food stamps, WIC, food pantries, Meals on Wheels).
- Cash Assistance Programs (e.g., EAEDC, TAFDC, SSI).
- Housing and Homeless Assistance Programs (e.g. Section 8 housing,
public housing, emergency assistance and homeless shelter
programs).
In
the future the website will be expanded to include information
on the following social services:
Adult Education/Job Training Programs
- Employment/Earned Income Tax Credit
- Transportation
- Childcare
- Health Care Programs
- Mental Health Programs
- Substance Abuse Programs
- Victims of Violence Programs
- Legal Assistance/Appeals Process
- Immigration
- Fuel and Utility Assistance Programss
- Furniture and Clothing Assistance Programs
- Elder Assistance Programs
- Social Security
- Public Schools
- Head Start/Early Intervention
- After-school Programs, Summer Camps
- Foster Care
Future
social services portal development
Community Resources Information,
Inc. will lease the social
services portal 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
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 social services portal for their community
by using WorcesterResources.org as a template. |
