Poverty and Other Factors Affecting the Location of Nonprofit Human Service Organizations

Abstract

The argument that the location of human services responds to the geography of poverty is strongly disputed. Other factors play a major role in determining service locations besides poverty and service needs, including zoning, social capital, and agglomeration economies. I explore the spatial relationship of nonprofit organizational locations and poverty in the Los Angeles county, and find a complex association, as well as gaps in services in high poverty areas. My findings contradict the poverty hypothesis and emphasize the importance of agglomeration effects instead. Implications for service planning and accessibility for policy makers and service funders are discussed.