Chapter Five: Establishing The Agency

Establishing a human services agency eco system expands step-by-step into a functional entity that increases the capacity of clients to cope with the needs, problems, and vulnerabilities in their lives. Whether establishing a new agency or enabling an existing agency to function more successfully, the process is the same. Let’s explore the following five steps and consider how we can best take each step.

1. Have a clear vision of who the agency’s clients should be.
2. Understand the difficulties they are having coping with their particular needs, problems, and vulnerabilities.
3. Assess the resources and opportunities they have for coping with their difficulties.
4. Determine how the agency can supplement their resources and opportunities to help them cope more successfully.
5. Develop an agency eco system successfully achieving the expected outcomes for each agency client.