Message
from the President
Dear Friends of LSS,
The
budget decisions made by the Governor and legislature mean bad things for
some vulnerable people. Fewer people will be served. There's no getting
around that. At LSS, we're committed to serving people in trouble, and
we're working to assure that our mission of service continues to extend
throughout the State to persons young and old.
We are, of course, seeking
greater philanthropic support for our mission. Early indications suggest
that some of our threatened services will be successfully supported, at
least for now, by new support! That's really very good news.
We're also moving ahead with
new ideas and new methods of care to help more people.
Part of our organization's
five-year plan, from 2001-2005, includes process improvement initiatives
that allow us to continue to raise the bar of quality without raising the
cost of serving others. Our plan is to do more, without spending more.
This issue of Changing Lives points to some of the process improvements we
have identified for this five-year period. Some are complete, others under
way. Regardless of status, they are improvements that allow us to serve
more people more effectively. You will see from the examples provided
that, where possible, LSS has cut the costs of providing service so that
the savings realized can be spent on helping others.
Those who partner with LSS to
provide services are interested in the results of our work with those we
serve. So are we. We are mission-driven. For us that means that we're also
results-driven. Minnesota Counties, too, are seeking greater results
without greater costs. You will see this demonstrated in our story about
the Minnesota Family Investment Program, the program often called "Welfare
to Work." This story is one example of how our counties set performance
standards and how the social work teams work to achieve them.
While the quality bar is being
raised outside and inside LSS, you will be gratified to know that LSS is
often on the leading edge in these initiatives. And that's why we cannot
take a step backward, now that financial resources have become less
available. We are hoping that our own process improvements and
results-driven approaches to performing our work will win additional
support of our social service partners. Moreover, I believe that LSS'
quality orientation and stewardship of resources will generate further
support from our faithful donors, as well as new ones.
Thanks for your energetic
support in our ministry of service.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Peterson
