United States. Children’s Bureau. Social Statistics Section

United Community Services Community Information Service Records

drice — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 15:37:43 -0400

The United Community Services of Metropolitan Detroit has its origins in the establishment of the Detroit Community Union in 1917. The Union was reorganized into the Council of Social Agencies of Metropolitan Detroit in 1932, and merged with the Detroit Community Chest in 1951 to become the United Community Services (UCS). UCS operated alongside the United Way for Southeastern Michigan (United Foundation until 1989), which was primarily a fundraising organization. They merged to form the United Way Community Services in 1995, which merged with the United Way for Oakland County to become the United Way for Southeastern Michigan in 2005. UCS was an umbrella organization for a wide range of social welfare agencies in the Metropolitan Detroit area, and sought to promote social services (including child care, family, health, recreation, and community planning) through the centralized planning, coordinating, and budgeting of those agencies. The Community Information Service (CIS) Department, formerly known as the Central Services Department, was established to assist the community in making more effective use of health, welfare, and recreational resources. It served as a central source for authentic information to direct members of the community to relevant social service agencies, by the use of telephone, correspondence, or in person visits. The department also published social service resource directories and oversaw the Central Volunteer Bureau. Funding for the CIS came from the United Foundation’s annual Tribute Fund Campaign.

The United Community Services Community Information Service Records consist of correspondence, minutes, reports and scrapbooks from CIS and its precursor, the Central Services Department. The materials demonstrate the functions of the CIS, including its efforts to connect members of the community with social service resources, its centralized administration of UCS’ volunteer efforts, and its involvement in Tribute Fund campaigning. The collection also contains statistical data about the services provided by participating UCS agencies, mostly in the Social Statistics Project series.

United Community Services Research Department Records

drice — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 15:41:26 -0400

The United Community Services of Metropolitan Detroit has its origins in the establishment of the Detroit Community Union in 1917. The Union was reorganized into the Council of Social Agencies of Metropolitan Detroit in 1932, and merged with the Detroit Community Chest in 1951 to become the United Community Services (UCS). UCS operated alongside the United Way for Southeastern Michigan (United Foundation until 1989), which was primarily a fundraising organization. They merged to form the United Way Community Services in 1995, which merged with the United Way for Oakland County to become the United Way for Southeastern Michigan in 2005. UCS was an umbrella organization for a wide range of social welfare agencies in the Metropolitan Detroit area, and sought to promote social services (including child care, family, health, recreation, and community planning) through the centralized planning, coordinating, and budgeting of those agencies. The Research Department was responsible for analyzing and evaluating information about community conditions to aid other UCS departments in determining their programs and policies. The department collected statistical data regarding population trends, land use, agency services, and other areas related to the overall functions of UCS.

The United Community Services Research Department Records consists of reports and statistical data, mostly related to the services of UCS agencies. The reports contain information regarding agencies that fell under the UCS umbrella, including the names and locations of agencies, the types of services they provided, and the amount of certain services provided to members of the community. The collection also contains reports related to special projects undertaken by UCS, including the Harper-Gratiot Multi-Service Center, and statistics relating to UCS’ participation in the United States Children’s Bureau Social Statistics Project. In addition to reports and statistics, the collection also contains some correspondence, mostly related to Research Department Director James H. Norton, detailing the administrative functions of the Research Department.