title: Faith-based versus secular providers of social services--differences in what, how, and where.
abstract: Recent public policies have promoted an increased role for faith-based organizations in the delivery of publicly supported services. Yet, there is little information on how service delivery by faith-based and secular providers might differ. This study seeks a better understanding of role differences by analyzing the broad context of social service delivery patterns in Los Angeles County. We find important differences. Faith-based organizations are much more concentrated in their service offerings than their secular counterparts. However, they play an important role through their emphasis on transitional assistance, their multi-service orientation, and their reliance on interventions that utilize their unique strengths. Secular nonprofit and public providers, in contrast, offer a much more comprehensive set of services. The results suggest that faith-based organizations have a modest and focused role in social service delivery, but one that is complementary to the efforts of secular providers.
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Graddy
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ye
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D009111:Local Government; D015141:Los Angeles; D009939:Organizations, Nonprofit / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011340:Problem Solving; D011640:Public Policy; D017150:Public Sector / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012067:Religion; D012380:Role; D012946:Social Welfare; D012947:Social Work / Q000458:organization & administration*