ABSTRACT
It is rare that a group of community-based nonprofit social service providers can successfully develop a coalition that includes not only a range of providers but the county health and human service agency as well. It is more common for nonprofit service providers to compete with one another for clients, status, and reputation within the community and for scarce resources. In addition, their relationships with the county agency are typically characterized by tension and even mistrust, and often resemble a grant-maker-recipient relationship, rather than a partnership. This is a case study of a coalition of nonprofit agencies in Napa County that has come together in an attempt to plan and implement a comprehensive service delivery system to address the needs of Napa residents. The case study is based on the coalition’s first five years, and the first three years of its behavioral health committee.
