Human Services Integration: Past and Present Challenges in Public Administration

Abstract

perspective. Human services integration (SI) refers to the quest for the development of systems that are responsive to the multiple needs of persons at-risk: victims of the most severe social problems. Integration appears under many different labels; for example, community integration, comprehensive services, coherent services, broad spectrum of services, and coordinated services. Interest in services integration dates to the middle 1960s, when social programs expanded and a wide range of professionals and advocates recognized the efficacy of dealing with multiple causes and responses to problems. Because social program growth was largely a publicsector phenomenon, public administration became increasingly interested in how to manage the range of social programs for the best results. An SI movement began during the 1960s, and although it sometimes appears under different names, the quest continues. This article attempts to capture the essence of the SI movement-historical and contemporary-and explain why it is such an enduring problem and challenge to public administration. The intractability of SI lies in the need for public managers to develop approaches and techniques for the management of transorganizational systems.