Intrametropolitan planning for community-based residential care: a goals programming approach

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Urban Planning
• Social Policy

Background:

• Small community-based residential facilities are replacing large institutions for disabled, indigent, elderly, and ex-offender populations.
• Lack of planned distribution has led to facility and client clustering in inner cities, creating 'service-dependent ghettos'.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline a goals programming approach for optimizing client and facility assignment within metropolitan areas.
• To develop a model for equitable and efficient distribution of residential care facilities.
• To protect the rights of both service recipients and communities.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a goals programming model to address the client/facility assignment problem.
• Proposed an intrametropolitan distribution framework balancing equity and efficiency.
• Incorporated negotiation and arbitration techniques into a regional fair-share plan.

Main Results:

• The goals programming model provides a framework for balanced distribution of residential facilities.
• The proposed approach aims to prevent the formation of service-dependent ghettos.
• A regional fair-share plan offers an institutional mechanism for implementation.

Conclusions:

• A planned approach to facility and client assignment is crucial for equitable service delivery.
• Goals programming offers a viable method for balancing competing objectives in residential facility distribution.
• Fair-share plans with negotiation can facilitate the implementation of equitable community care strategies.