CHAPTER 11 Community Interventions

MODELS OF COMMUNITY INTERVENTION FeaturesLocal level organizations: Deal with issues at the neighborhood or local community level. Sometimes referred to as “grassroots” Social issue organizations: Bring together people who share common interests and are committed to achieving social justice Social planning organizations: Focus on issues that have community-wide implications Expected outcomes-Building capacity- Accomplishing tasks -Changing policies -Changing power relationships -Solving community problems -Obtaining funding -Developing programs Target of change-Local public officials - Local institutions (e.g., banks, schools) -Public officials -Agency administrators - Elected officials at the local, state and national levels - Interagency organizations Primary constituency-Residents in a geographic area -Issue focused groups-Volunteer leaders -Elected officials -Human service funders -Coalitions Scope of concernNeighborhood quality of life -Social justice -Resolution of an issue -Improved services for target populations

MODELS OF COMMUNITY INTERVENTION FeaturesLocal level organizations Social issue organizations Social planning organizations Change tactics -Formation of consensus -Advocacy for positions -Mobilizing neighborhood response Confrontation - Negotiations - Collaborations - Litigation -Fact gathering -Technical analysis -Advocating policy and legislative change Empowering constituents - Building the neighborhood capacity to make decisions - Promoting greater control of their own destiny -Creating an awareness of constituent rights - Developing capacity to have an impact -Documenting consumers’ unmet needs -Transmitting analysis to the decision makers -Organizing coalitions -Coordinating service delivery Practitioner-Facilitator -Coordinator -Advocate -Broker -Researcher -Proposal writer

Influencing Change  Community organization involves an intervention prcess to help individauls and groups deal with problems through collective action  Fundamental to community organization work is: fostering self-determination Involving the collective struggle of people acting on their own behalf to improve conditions affecting their lives

Influencing Change (cont.)  Affecting change is not easy for a variety of reasons: Factors operating outside control of an organization can perpetuate a problem  Lack of affordable housing greater that one neighborhood Problems are interconnected  Released felons’ self-esteem could impact employment options Inconsistent responses by policy and decision makers  Differences in immigrants’ experiences with visas

INFLUENCING CHANGE (cont.)  Working for Change People must be involved in an issue that reflects a deeply felt need People need a target toward which they can direct their energies People must feel a sense of their own power. They must have con­fidence in the possibility that an organization can accomplish what they as individuals cannot People must be involved in achieving concrete and immediate changes

DEVELOPING COMMUNITY SUPPORT  Getting people involved on the neighborhood level is no easy matter  Three types of tactics could be used to elicit community support Conduct an exploratory survey: i.e. door to door Sell an issue through individual contacts: i.e. petition drive to get stop signs on a busy street to slow traffic Promote attendance at a public meeting where community action will be taken

The Community Organizer’s Role  Advocating: representing others  Mobilizing :Empowering vulnerable people to take action on their own behalf Picketing, occupying, sit-ins  Organizing :efforts to build ongoing community organizations that can address needs of target population  Enabler: Providing guidance without being intrusive Educating, empowering, building capacity  Broker: mobilize resources

Issues Community-Based Organizations Strategically Need to Address  What is our primary purpose for existing (mission)?  What might we be doing several years from now for which we should be preparing ourselves?  What are our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats?  What are the critical issues facing our organization that must be addressed (e.g., membership, finances)?  What are our goals and objectives?  Who are our supporters and what value do we offer them?  Who are our opponents and what form is their opposition likely to take?  Who do we need to influence, and how can we go about it?

WORKING ON COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION ISSUES  Community organizers grapple with specific issues at the organizational level:  Dealing with residents who are reluctant to become involved either because they are apathetic or because they are mistrustful Building trust takes time and consistency  Determining what residents really want and developing differential strategies to meet their needs and interests Talk to as many people as possible  Accepting the importance of self determination Ultimately the organization must make its own decisions

WORKING ON COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION ISSUES (cont.)  Continually energizing organizations Overtime fervor may decline and opportunities for regeneration need to be explored  Helping to develop a clear focus Setting priorities means also setting posteriorities  Seeking a balance between wanting to make a major impact in the community and identifying projects that can be feasibly implemented

GUIDING PRINCIPLES  Anticipate possible problems and challenges so that you will be prepared to meet them  Start where the group is  Encourage people in the organization to take on assignments in which they can be successful  Be aware of organizational dynamics and interactions

SUMMARY  People form community organizations to address a variety of concerns and issues.  Sometimes these organizations are based where people live; frequently they emerge from common interests.  Regardless of their origin, they have in common the need to influence change, mobilize support, deal with resistance, and see results.  To strengthen their power to influence change, community organizations will frequently form coalitions.  Through community development processes, some community organizations attempt to have an impact on the economic life of the community.