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Background: Community integration is an important component of recovery for persons with serious mental illnesses (SMI). However, persons with SMI often experience barriers in using community resources, participating in community activities, and developing interactions with neighbors and other community members. Aims: This study examines the association between different sources of social support, including family, friends and mental health services providers, and three dimensions of community integration. Method: A sample of 399 persons with SMI was interviewed from community-based mental health service agencies in South Korea. Results: Family support and friendship support positively influenced all three aspects of community integration. More support from mental health professionals was associated with increased perceived accessibility to community resources but decreased involvement in community activities. Conclusion: Recommendations are made in supporting the role of natural networks and in advocating for a consumer-centered approach to service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which discusses the application of the Geographic Information System (GIS) technology in examining the patterns of social services used in community-based intervention in the U.S. It focuses on the ways that GIS can be applied to monitor the implementation of a citywide community-based emergency assistance and case management program aimed at preventing homelessness. The study reported shows that management information system data from human service agencies and publicly accessible data. Census can be effectively used in conjunction with Geographic Information Analysis. By integrating a large amount of data within one geographically-referenced framework, social service administrators could monitor the patterns of social service utilization, assess the extent to which different program sites adhere to the community-based program model, determine social services site location, and identify geographical areas with the greatest unmet service needs. The advantage of the GIS method lies in its ability to produce analyses and display geographically referenced information that are easy to understand and that have potential implications for program planning and program development.