CheckPoint: Researching Human Service Agencies One of the best ways to learn about how various human service organizations meet human needs is to research and study agencies within your city or state.
Resources: Appendixes B, C, and G
Compile a list of the human service agencies in your city or state.
Choose two agencies from your list. Research and study the available information for each agency, obtained from the agency's Web site or other credible Internet sources. Search for information about how the agency determines needs and the demographic it serves. Refer to Appendix C for tips on where to find this information and Appendix G for other suggested Web sites.
Compare and contrast the information you found for each agency, then answer the following questions in 200 to 300 words:
What needs does each agency meet and what demographic does each agency serve? What or who may have influenced the agency's decision to meet the needs of this demographic group?
What differences have you observed between the ways the two agencies attempt to meet human needs?
How successful is each agency in meeting the needs of its demographic group? What challenges may be preventing the agencies from meeting certain needs?