Rich History of Human Services

History Of Human Services

Human services has a rich and varied history. It begins as far back as the 1660s, in the Colonial Period when the English Colonists were settling America. They had to work with one another and the Native Americans if they were to survive, and that led them to taking in and helping many of the poor among them (Foster-Fishman & Behrens, 2007). As more people survived and the Colonies grew, the social problems grew with them. There were more people who had nowhere to go and who did not have enough food to eat. The elderly and disabled were a big part of this population, but there were also many orphans and widows (Herzberg, 2014). Charity to the poor was seen as being both a Christian duty and a social obligation. Thus began the first human service organizations in the New World. Unfortunately, many of these organizations consisted of almshouses and other places.

People could sleep and get something to eat there, but the conditions in them were deplorable at best (Herzberg, 2014). It was not until people like Dorothea Dix came along in the 1800s that people in need of human services really had a strong advocate (Hasenfeld, 1992). When Independence was gained in 1776, everything really changed for the better for those who were poor or otherwise needy (Herzberg, 2014). There was a complex governmental system put in place and people were moving more toward individuality, but that did not mean the value of helping others was diminished. Both churches and secular organizations came forward with the goal of helping the poor and allowing them to have a place to stay and enough food to eat (Hasenfeld, 1992). Both of those institutions would continue to grow and evolve for centuries to make sure people were cared for.

One of the main failings of human services was the treatment of black people after the civil war. When the slaves were freed many of them had nothing, but there were still many racist policies throughout the country that held them back (Foster-Fishman & Behrens, 2007). Rather than get help from organizations, they were forced to rely on other black people in their communities and families. Through that, they were able to get out of poverty in some cases, but many of them still struggled with low income and a lack of education (Hasenfeld, 1992). This was something that continued for many years and still does today, to some degree. However, human services organizations now help anyone in need, regardless of race, color, gender, or other factors.

That is a very important step and a strong advancement from where these organizations were previously. They have advanced to the point that many of them are national, and there are local, state, and federal programs that can help people who are struggling with poverty and other, related issues (Foster-Fishman & Behrens, 2007). It was not until the 1960s that human services became an academic discipline (Herzberg, 2014). The goal of making human services an academic discipline was to foster more effective, efficient, and humane care for those who need it most (Herzberg, 2014). Other goals included showing professionals how to take responsibility and work for social change, along with reeducating those in the helping professions to see the whole person, instead of just the person's problem (Hasenfeld, 1992).