The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-09
ID AVOID DUPLICATION OF
 CHARITY WORK
Social Welfare Confidential Exchange Established By City-To Act as Clearing
 House for Charity Cases

A Social Welfare Confiden-
 tial exchange for the benefit of all churches, clubs, organiza-
 tions and individuals interested
 in social service work has been established with headquarters in the offices of the city welfare department, room No. 334, city
 hall.
 l Walter $ Brown superintendent of the 1 city welfare department, will have charge of the exchange, which has been estab-
 lished in an effort to cover the city as ! well as possible and avoid the duplica organizations will be urged to register 1 their cases and let the exchange act as
 clearing house and co-ordinator of all
 work among the needy of the city. l Trained welfare workers of Birming | ham have felt the need of such an organ 1 ization for several years. The need has
 now been removed, it is said, by the es-
 ta blishment of this bureau under the l direction of the citv
 REGISTRATION BUREAU A registration bureau will ne main- | tained for the use and benefit of each cooperating agency. A double index by
 name and by street will be kept of every | family or person assisted in any way by any of these agencies. firms. churches or individuals, Through this interchange of | information the welfare workers expect | to gain many benefits from the work and researches of the others
 | A bureau of this kind was contemplated 1 in the earliest plans of the department | of relief and correction. but it is only recently that its establishment has been i, found practical by the city
 Some time ago a letter was sent to all welfare agencies asking for co-opera- 1 tion and calling a meeting when the bu- | reau was to be established There were only a few answers to the letter and I the meeting was unsuccessful but the
 undertaking has been steadily pushed to | a succer0r,,t co,o1nc'c,,
 1 EXPLAIN THE PLAN
 "ln order that we may have the fullest 1 benefit from the undertaking we must
 have the full operation of all the
 charity agencies" said Dr. Brown. of
 the work is not fully understood or if
 any objection is to be registered people who hold doubts and fears. should com
 nunicate with headqparters and give us
 an opportunity to explain the plan 1 Up to this time there has been no
 general organization for the carrying on
 of charity work and providing for avoid
 arce of effort duplication. The depart
 ment of relief and correction has been
 working along with the other charitable
 organizations. but has not been co-ordi- hating charity work
 l We have two methods of charity op-
 erations; First, the direct donations | n ia1
 administered by this department directly l to the worthy cases. free of cost
 second. the cooperative method is | when private donors, firms. individuals
 or organizations volunteer to distribute their own gifts This department will 1 cooperate by directing the work in the I most scientific way- so to, prevent 1 lpauperizing. always looking to the rehab l ilitation of the person helped-making ! them independent and self-supporting l This also gives scientific training 10
 those inexperienced in social work who 1 wish to become trained workers. Every I church. firm. and society can by thus cooperating get their social workers | trained free ''
 IS CLEARING HOUSE ! As this department is a clearing house | for all charity and social welfare work 1 the next most cooperative service Is the confidential exchange or information bu- | reau. which keeps indeXed every case of
 charity or person assisted not only from l this office. but those on the list Of any 1 other charity institution or organization | in the city or county. and will furnish 1 to each other and subscribers through ] this office, the record of every organiza- l tion helping them in any way. This is
 a great economic and protective service All social workers want the CO., operation
 every cnurch and firm and its social workers.
 ALLIED ARMIES III: