Stressing the urgency for this country to uplift citizens in need, author Bill Simon reflects upon his three-decade career on the Front-Lines of Human Services delivery and provides practical solutions for ending poverty in a matter of just two generations.
He was called to the black power movement after growing up in 1960s Philadelphia, joining the push to lower poverty in black neighborhoods in 1970. In this impactful book, Simon chronicles his journey: relating his personal experiences, looking critically at each agency he was employed by, and reflecting upon their shortcoming-both theirs and his-at removing clients and their families from the root ill of poverty. Painful though it might be, Simon recognizes that it's only through asking the question "Was I part of the problem or part of the solution?" that any real progress can be made in the War on Poverty-a war launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson half a century ago.
Through this process of rigorous scrutiny, Simon illustrates that the original methods of education, mentorship, and monitoring of the downtrodden, as practiced by those who came to America on the Mayflower, are what gave this country a foundation for greatness.
About the Author: Bill Simon's Human Services career began in 1970, when he worked to diminish youth gang-related murders in South Philadelphia's Tasker Housing Project. Bill Simon, who has a Master's Degree in Human Services from Lincoln University, went on to serve at Juvenile Detention facilities. Also, was a dedicated to Drug and Alcohol Counselor serving clients of Inner-city Philadelphia. In the early 1990s, he held various positions at the John F. Kennedy Mental Health and Retardation Center before serving in several Divisions of the City of Philadelphia's Department of Human Services, Child Protective Services Division, from 1994 to 2011.
Now retired from civil service, he is the founder and president of the Philadelphia Public and Human Services Guild Inc., which advises grassroots organizations on best practices of frontline human services delivery.
Simon is active in many civic organizations and has held numerous leadership positions in the fraternity Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.
