Fred K. Hoehler

Some Aspects of Public Welfare-Today and Tomorrow

Welfare Association is a cosponsor, I think that it is proper for me to greet you on behalf of the Association and to say a word about the Association. As a greeting, I first must thank those who planned the conference and brought it up to the point of this opening session. From now on its success will depend on your invitees and those who have the courage and wit to carry on the discussion. For the officers and members I can say in complete sincerity that these regional conferences are basic to the improvement of public welfare skills and to a better understanding of the purpose of each program. As president of the Association and speaking for most of the Board, I believe that the contributions in time and thought that go into these conferences are the finest investments of our staff and committees toward better care for people in trouble or for those in need of cash and services. The Association has had a long history. It began first as the American Association of Public Welfare Officials. In 1930 that association of officials was strengthened by the help received from foundation funds and by the appointment of a full-time director and secre-

Municipal Departments of Public Welfare

BY WAY of introducing this subject it is well to recall that for a period of years prior to and just following the World War there was a fairly general financial starvation of public charities which shifted public functions to private philanthropy. This was somewhat encouraged by the growth of the Community Chest movement just following the war. Very recently the swing is again toward public support of charitable activities. A review of the annual reports of various municipal departments of public welfare over the past few years will reveal an amazing growth of interest in this field of city government. The human side of public service has no standard form of organization but is evolving into a very clear obligation of municipal government with many ramifications into the city and community life. There are as many different types of organizations with varying functions as there are departments or bureaus in this field. No two communities have endeavored to approach this service from the same point of need. Some cities combine the services of dependency, behavior, leisure time, and health (hospitals), while others have one or more of these functions under separate departments or boards. In several municipalities it is extremely difficult to separate public and private endeavors in these activities. A complete statement of functions for a municipal department of