The multi-service centre : A vehicle for social service delivery

The multi-service centre (MSC) is a community-focused agency that hosts a variety of social services on one site (e.g., a school, daycare, community centre, library, health clinic, welfare, and community police office can all be clustered together in one location). Some of the general goals, of the MSC are to improve convenience and accessibility to users; provide continuity and holism in service; reduce fragmentation and duplication in the social service system; reduce costs through sharing; and serve as a neighbourhood gathering place. Despite the lack of City policy regarding the MSC, it is nonetheless a prominent model of service delivery in Vancouver. The MSC takes many forms but the most prevalent one is an arrangement whereby a neighbourhood house or community centre is located next to a school. This thesis studies three examples of MSCs in Vancouver and the methodology includes interviews with their directors arid principals, as well as Social Planning staff who have detailed knowledge of these MSCs. Also, a literature review is conducted and substantiates the primary data. The data reveal that such issues as synergy, leadership, efficiency, neighbourhood relevance and scale, facilities and access, and systems impact significantly on the overall performance of the MSC. Further, themes such as balance, courtship, and collaboration serve to guide these features to their full potential. However, the MSC is only one strategy on the continuum of social services. Not to be discounted are other, models, such as the traditional dispersed and the new integrated service delivery approaches. Choice in service delivery is important and each strategy serves to complement and reinforce the other. The policy challenge represented by the need for choice and complementarity in social service delivery resoundingly points to better collaboration in planning systems. Specific policy implications include more integration in planning, more power to municipal planning departments, and increased expansion of the traditional role of the school. The general purpose of this study is to contribute to contemporary planning thought and practice by providing some insight into how social services can be better coordinated and delivered.Applied Science, Faculty ofCommunity and Regional Planning (SCARP), School ofGraduat