If this were all that was happening in this small corner of Cedar Rapids, it would be enough. However, there is more going on at the Brownstone. What is going on is a change process that is helping to lead Cedar Rapids, and Linn Co. into a broad systems reform initiative. Patch means neighborhood. The patch approach offers a practical and effective way to realize the goals of systems change initiatives currently driving social services development nationwide.
Patch is family-centered, holistic, and collaborative.
Because the patch team is driven by the genuine needs of families and communities, it is effective. Because the patch team is located in neighborhoods and works with the natural support networks embedded within neighborhoods, it creates a wholesome relationship between the social service system and the communities it serves. And because the patch team focuses on strengths, abilities, and the deep capacities of people to care for themselves, it builds and strengthens community. Patch originated in Great Britain, in part as a response to the reports of governmental commissions, dating back to the late 1960's, which found social services to be overly bureaucratized, narrowly specialized, and fragmented. A number of factors encouraged prospects for in Cedar Rapids.