A Map for You? Geographic Information Systems in the Social Services

Abstract

This article introduces and illustrates the use of geographic information systems for practice, administration, and research in the social services. Our illustrations use 1996/97 child care licensing data for the Lowell/Framingham area of Massachusetts and resource and referral data from the Dade County/Greater Miami area of Florida. The article shows how the location and characteristics of service providers can be depicted on a map that can be made available to clients. With the mapping of the ratio of child care slots to the number of children in the population, social services agency workers can locate areas with potential serviceavailability gaps. By mapping the take-up rate for child care subsidies, agencies can identify areas for potential client outreach. Finally, the article presents a map of the “daily schlep” for poor families in one area of Miami. This map suggests that the transportation problem of the poor is primarily a work transportation problem and not a child care transportation issue and provides support for the hypothesis of a spatial mismatch between home and jobs for poor families.