Crisis Services
“We rely on nonprofits for critical crisis services”, says Lois Mikkila, Director of the Howard County Department of Citizen Services.
Mindful of the complexity of nonprofit service provision in the county, the NRDC is interested in engaging individual service clusters as a way of supporting and adding value to groupings of providers engaged in service delivery.
As an initial effort, the Council has been engaged in discussions with organizations involved in crisis services. On the heels of STTAR Center dissolution, an ad-hoc group has looked at whether the system of crisis services in Howard County is organized for maximum effectiveness, both for clients and for agencies. The group is also considering whether there are gaps in understanding about financial capacity and agency operations between nonprofit boards and their staff, and how funders can be apprised of a nonprofit’s financial problems before they become a crisis.
The NRDC strategy will begin with a map of crisis services in Howard County and researching how such services are organized elsewhere in the country. The Council has recruited consultants to provide technical assistance to crisis services in Howard County. Technical assistance will focus on how crisis services currently operate; how they interface with other organizations; and how they can make improvements, beginning with developing a long term financing strategy.
A finely tuned understanding of how the current system works, a review of comparable models and best practices from other parts of the country, and definition of recommended changes will be spelled out. A plan for improving the system, with specific recommendations and a timeline, and local consultants who will be tapped to assist in implementation of the plan is anticipated.
“We rely on nonprofits for critical crisis services”, said Lois Mikkila, Director of the Howard County Department of Citizen Services. “We need to explore effective strategies for providing capacity-building support that will strengthen both the individual organizations and the network as a whole.”
