Supporting children's growth and development, strengthening families and making neighborhoods safe, economically viable places to live and raise a family are continuing challenges in many communities. Changes in welfare policy have created new demands for job training, child care, and other transitional services among former recipients of public income assistance. Higher goals for educational achievement require new investments in teachers, schools, and special programs. Health care costs continue to rise, despite more than a decade of dramatic financing reforms. And in many towns and cities, renewing the economic and physical assets of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods is a high priority. Yet as the economic prosperity of the 1990s recedes, public budget surpluses have largely evaporated, and revenue projections for the next couple of years continue to decline. Many states and communities except significant budget shortfalls. As a result, many state and local leaders face stiff challenges in their efforts to provide and pay for human supports and services and to improve the quality of life in their communities.

This paper examines the changing context in which community leaders, professionals, and citizens are able to influence the financing of family and children's services, as well as the organization, delivery. It examines these three models for community mobilization. It highlights lessons learned about the effects and effectiveness of these approaches. And it suggests several questions that should guide decision makers about how to select and design effective community mobilization strategies.