“We Can’t Eat a Road”Asset Based Community Development (ABCD)

Suzanne Benites, MSW

ABCD Session Overview:

• Definitions and Theories

• What is ABCD?

• Guiding Principles of ABCD

• Discover Community Needs

• Participatory Action Research

• Building on assets and examples

• Strong Families Uplift program

• Discussion/Q&A

Definitions and Theories

• Systems Theory (interactive exercise)

• Strengths Perspective

• Problems/deficiencies vs. Strengths/resiliency

• What is a Community?

Definitions & Theories: Systems Theory

• Helpful in understanding various component parts and levels of communities, from the broad to the very immediate

• All systems try to maintain their status quo

• Any change in one system causes a change/reaction in another system

Definitions and Theories: Systems Theory w/ interactive exercise

Create a multi-level map of systems in a city and neighborhood

Definitions and Theories: Community:

A community is a number of people who share a distinct

location, belief, interest, activity or other characteristic

that clearly identifies their commonality and differentiates

them from those not sharing it.

Definitions and Theories:Definition of Community cont’d

A community can be defined in many ways:

– By place (Texas, Tarrant County, Fort Worth,

Neighborhoods)

– By interests (Faith, sports, clubs)

– By Identity (Food Stamp Recipients, Single Parents,

Low Income)

– By Purpose (Coalitions, associations)

– Even as a provider of benefits (agencies, churches,

gov’t)

Definitions and Theories:Focus on Problems/deficiencies

• Our social service system typically focuses on community assessment to identify problems and/or needs. An agency then brings resources/programs to the community based on that assessment

• This system is built on a model that requires “customers”

• This system perpetuates victim mentality, unsustainable programs, strips power from communities, denies communities motivation to build from within

Definitions and Theories:Focus on Strengths Perspective• An alternative to the pathology oriented approach to

helping

• Strengths Perspective builds on a client’s abilities, talents and resources instead of identifying problems and providing solutions

• In community practice, a neighborhood or other smaller community is the client or focus of intervention

What is ABCD?

• Asset Based Community Development is a strategy for sustainable community-driven development.

• Links Micro assets to Macro environment

• Communities drive the development process – Identify and mobilize existing and often unrecognized

assets

– Respond to and create local economic opportunity

What is ABCD con’td• A revitalization focus on assets, resources and

strengths in low income and inner-city neighborhoods.

• Looks for social networks

• Establishes communication between groups and between agencies

• Assesses structural and personal assets

• Broad, inclusive understanding of a community’s assets

Guiding Principles of ABCD• Everyone has gifts-everyone. Discover them!

• Relationships build a community

• Citizens at the center-engage as actors, not just recipients

• Community leaders involve others

• People care about something-listen!

• Motivation for action-identify by listening

• Listening conversations-invite dialogue and opportunities

Guiding Principles cont’d• Ask, Ask, Ask-asking and inviting are key

community building concepts

• Ask questions instead of giving answers-communities know what they need, discover and then agencies follow up with help

• Citizen centered is key to community engagement

• Gov’t, non-profits and businesses are stretched thin in solving community problems---engage the community to help solve community problems!

Discover How a Community Meets Its Needs-

Environmental Requirements and Capital:

• The natural environment in a community provides what it needs for very survival– Clean air, water,?

– Open spaces, trash?

– Adequate healthy plant/animal life?

– Landscape features?

Discover Community Needs, cont’d

Physical Requirements and Capital:

• These requirements help take care of our bodies– Adequate food, shelter, clothing?

– Adequate medical care?

– Roads, transportation?

– Community projects: murals, gardens, etc.

– Waste and drainage systems?

– Conditions of Buildings?

– Systems routinely maintained?

Discover Community Needs, cont’dEconomic Requirements and Capital:

• A community’s economic system provides means to aquire things important to them-usually money.– How do people get access to goods and services?

– What is income, occupation levels, barriers to equal opportunity?

– Plentiful or limited opportunities?

– Untapped economic resources?

– Bartering?

– Major industries

– Does money stay in community?

Discover Community Needs, cont’dHuman Development Requirements:

• A community relies on members ability to produce goods, services, solve problems– How are talents recognized and skills developed?

– Are contributions overlooked?

– Do members offer their abilities willingly?

– Are members eager for action or passive and pessimistic?

– How does skill and knowledge of member affect economic conditions?

– How are nonmarket talents valued?

– What talents and skills exist among community members?

Discover Community Needs, cont’dPolitical Requirements and Capital

• Each community faces a set of political requirements for forming policies that manage resources and relationships– Community political connections?

– Do members believe they have a right to participate?

– What is the formal process of decision making?

– What are the formal gov’t structures?

– Are there informal positions of leadership and decision making?

– How do people recognize problems?

– Who is expected to be quiet and who is expected to speak up?

– What are bases of power?

Discover Community Needs, cont’d

Information and Communication Requirements & Capital

• A community has to have information and methods for developing, transmitting and receiving information– How do community members learn about what is going

on?

– How skilled are members at using information technology?

– How do people decide what is true?

– To whom do people listen? (bishop, radio, tv, etc.)

– How interested are community members in communicating with one another?

Discover Community Needs, cont’d

Cultural Requirements and Capital

• Culture binds a community through shared values, traditions, art, music, etc.– What do forms or art and music reveal about

community?

– How is culture seen?

– What roles do different members play? (young, old, women, men)

– What influence does culture have on community?

– What traditional cultural beliefs and practices remain?

– Are differences of cultures valued?

Discover Community Needs, cont’dSpiritual Requirements and Capital

• Humans need to feel connected to something beyond ourselves and our physical world– How is spirituality valued by community members?

– Is it openly discussed?

– What ways do members attend to their spiritual interests?

– What different forms of spirituality are you aware?

– Is there a distinction between spirituality and religiosity?

– Do community religious groups collaborate?

– Marked intolerance between different groups?

Discover Community Needs, cont’dSocial and Emotional Requirements and Capital

• Forming and maintaining relationships is an integral function of community:– Do members of community have ability and desire to work together?

– Do members of community feel safe and secure?

– Do members trust one another?

– Is there a strong sense of community?

– What are sources of community pride?

– How and where do people have fun?

– How do members spend their time and money?

Participatory Action Research (PAR)• One approach to involving members in

understanding community conditions and members taking action to make them better

• Those who most experience community are most qualified to investigate and direct how information is used

• Fundamental to community change work

PAR, cont’d• Community members are active in all phases of

the research process:– Identifying the issue to be addressed

– Designing the research questions

– Developing methodology

– Collecting and analyzing data

– Disseminating Findings

• Used on matters great and small

PAR, cont’d

Traditional Research: assessment designed and carried out by experts who are not members of community; information is extracted from community and used elsewhere

Vs.

Participatory Action Research: grounded in belief that a community participating in discovery and action based on that discovery is liberating, increases individual and community capacity to address their own issues.

Implementing the PAR process• Must fit style of all stakeholders, teamwork and

collaboration skills must be strong and core group must maintain consistent involvement

• Initial preparation-Provide group training, build group confidence; build energy on embarking on a new way of doing things; begin by asking questions

• Action Steps: focus, discover what is known, select a goal, construct hypothesis, identify resources, determine how to implement strategy, develop plan to test, implement strategy and collect data, analyze results and share results.

Asset Building• Develop tangible assets such as:

– Housing

– Small business ventures

– Savings accounts

• Potential to change impoverished communities

• Reduce Dependency on welfare

• Provides a stake in the community

• Community Practitioners: be aware of success rates of programs

• Direct Practice: be aware of opportunities for families to navigate the path to dignity and economic security

Examples of Asset Building• Habitat for Humanity

• Microenterprise– Small businesses ranging from 1 to 50

– Funded by microenterprise programs

• Individual Development Accounts– Encourages saving $25 to $30 a month

– Matching contribution

– Meant for home ownership, education or community

Asset Claiming• Help eligible families in claiming:– Community mutual support

– Earned income tax credit

– Child tax credits

Examples of Asset Claiming• VITA program

• Supplemental income sources

• Living wage movement

• Historical fairness claims

Individual Leadership Assets• Individual community leaders are more likely to yield

change

• Women often an untapped resource

• People are scattered and undirected

• Individuals have assets such as knowing the community and nurturing others, but lack skills

• Key tasks: gather, orient and create situations for empowerment

• Pair community participation with “winnable” community projects

• Use all individual assets, not just those with leadership ability

Strong Families Coalition-Uplift Model• Created as a model for coalition member agencies to

collaborate in a community

• Uses Participatory Action Research to identify community assets, relationships, connections

• ABCD approach to encourage communities to be involved in the process of identifying assets, mobilizing resources and develop opportunities

• Communities then request needed resources from coalition members to build on assets

“We Can’t Eat a Road”Discussion, Questions & Answers

ReferencesABCD Institute (n.d.). What is Asset Based Community Development (ABCD)? www.abcdinstitute.org.

Hardcastle, D.A., Powers, P.R. & Wenocur, S.W (2011). Community Practice: Theories and Skills for Social Workers. Oxford: NY

Homan, M.S. (2011). Promoting Community Change: Making it Happen in the Real World. 5th Ed. Brooks/Cole: CA