In 1989, the leaders in Gwinnett County’s 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 concerning the County’s health and human service needs was lacking, they decided to combine public and private dollars to hire a consultant to conduct a community needs assessment.
The report 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, and
- a prioritized focus on planning for children and families including older adults.
Deemed by the County Board of Commissioners as the entity responsible for planning services for children and families in Gwinnett County, the Gwinnett Coalition has successfully implemented five multiple-year strategic plans addressing the short-term and long-term priorities for service systems throughout the County. The leadership the Gwinnett Coalition has shown to the community over the past 27 years has helped to establish a broad system of services