The Emergency Service Council, formed in 1971, is a consortium of Lawrence, Kansas-based social service agencies, including Penn House, ECKAN, Salvation Army, Douglas County Senior Services and Women's Transitional Care Services. The collection includes administrative records, including meeting minutes and committee reports.

This typescript paper relates citizen reaction to the reduction in welfare grants and the formation of the Emergency Service Council in Lawrence, Kansas during the early 1970s. It includes information regarding subsequent efforts of that organization to meet physical needs of welfare recipients, to bring the crisis to the attention of the public, and to influence legislation and funding on a more comprehensive basis. Includes appendix.