Decentralizing the social service system: a reassessment

In recent years, Title XX of the Social Security Act and the Social Services Block Grant decentralized the social service system. This is claimed to be an improvement because decentralization strengthens the match between needs and services, adds to the flexibility of workers and agencies, and increases efficiency. However, it is argued in this article that decentralization also contributes to some problematic service delivery patterns, such as specialization and selectivity, a lack of responsiveness to major shifts in patterns of needs, and a loss of effective advocacy to sustain appropriations. This argument is used to explain dilemmas in serving the homeless in Chicago and to question general assumptions about decentralization.