DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/JFEN-WE89
Defense Date
2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Social Work, Ph.D.
First Advisor
Dr. F. Ellen Netting
Abstract
This project was a mixed methods study that examined the collaboration dimensions of Homeward's planning process and the factors that motivate organizations to participate. The study examined the collaborative strategy used by an organization called Homeward located in Richmond, Virginia. Homeward is a broker organization (Chaskin, Brown, Venkatesh, & Vidal, 2001) that was created in 1998 to mediate and nurture relationships among partnering organizations in order to facilitate the collaborative process required by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to receive Continuum of Care funding. During the quantitative component of the study, a survey was sent to Homeward's partners (n = 44) to identify partner perceptions of Homeward's leadership, organizational structure, benefits and drawbacks of participation, and relationships with partners. The follow-up survey and focus group in the qualitative component explored themes related to organization affiliation with Homeward, benefits and drawbacks of participation, relationships with partners, challenges that impact the ability of Homeward to facilitate collaboration, and strategies to involve key stakeholders. The findings from both methods have provided an overview of how Homeward's collaborative process is perceived by its partners and have raised issues that may impact Homeward's partner recruitment and retention efforts in the future. Implications for Homeward's model of collaboration include developing an organizational structure that will support the existence of both loosely and tightly coupled systems under the auspices of a single collaborative effort for long-term planning.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
June 2008