It All Started in 1989…
In 1989, Gwinnett County’s leaders from private and public sectors, including representatives from state and local government and the United Way, came together to address the issue of rapid growth and related implications on service and support mechanisms. Recognizing that information about the County’s health and human service needs was lacking, they decided to resource a firm to conduct a community needs assessment. The report, created by The Human Services Institute, revealed a prevalence of decentralization and inaccessibility to services throughout the county.
Three primary recommendations were:
The development of an infrastructure to optimize efficient use of public funds and to stabilize funding for health & human services
The development of cluster service centers around the county to improve service accessibility, efficiency and quality
A prioritized focus on planning for children and families including older adults
The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners designated the Gwinnett Coalition as the organization responsible for planning services for children and families in Gwinnett County and the Coalition met the challenge by identifying critical needs and creating innovate responses to them. Through initiatives like the Gwinnett Helpline, Veterans Resource Center, Great Days of Service, and Gwinnett Cares, the Coalition has an established track record of making Gwinnett great for all Gwinnettians.
