CHAPTER 11

Community Interventions

MODELS OF COMMUNITY INTERVENTION Features Local 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

-Solvingcommunity 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 concern Neighborhood quality of life

-Social justice-Resolution of an issue

-Improved services for target populations

MODELS OF COMMUNITY INTERVENTION

Features Local 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 con fidence 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.