Gina, a graduate with a master’s in social work emphasizing community development, was offered a position as a primary consultant and director of Rejuvenate Holyoke (a community organization). This was exciting and scary for Gina because she finally was hired for a job in her field, but for the same community, she lived in until she was 16 years old.
THE ASSIGNMENT IS DONE. WHAT’S PROVIDED DOES NOT NEED TO BE TOUCHED AS THIS IS A ‘GROUP’ ASSIGNMENT. Just some components are needed to be added. The critical element/point of view/perspective needs to be added.
Instructions: Discuss the critical elements of point of view(s).
Requirements: 5 pages
The Case of Holyoke
Gina, a graduate with a master’s in social work emphasizing community development, was offered a position as a primary consultant and director of Rejuvenate Holyoke (a community organization). This was exciting and scary for Gina because she finally was hired for a job in her field, but for the same community, she lived in until she was 16 years old. Not much different than when Gina lived there, Rosebaum Apartments provided a home to about 410 residents in the Holyoke neighborhood. The resources were scarce, little to no extracurricular activities for teenagers existed, turf wars were normal among the teenagers, and the local park was the hangout spot for the gangs. Gina, being too familiar with this environment, was unsure if she could truly make a change to this community (Lewis, 2018).
Besides Gina thinking the community may be too far gone for positive change, Holyoke brought back horrifying memories of her past. Her mother, Alice, went through a phase of drug addiction which caused Gina to feel abandoned as a kid. Gina’s memories of Holyoke were her mother being high on drugs and men rotating in and out their small apartment (Lewis, 2018).
Gina’s job, as a community consultant, will be to establish 501(c)(3) status (a nonprofit organization) and create an alternative funding source (outside of Middleton Community Foundation) by 2019. MCF is currently funding the organization. She was referred for the job by a resident of the community. Gina was also worried that some community residents would not trust her because she left. After accepting this job, Gina will be doing community organizing for Holyoke (Lewis, 2018).
Social Problem
There are many social problems impacting the Holyoke Community and Gina. Holyoke is experiencing the difficulties associated with a group of people that lack resources. The area of the community that will be targeted for intervention is an “urban neighborhood with very high poverty rates” (Lewis, 2018). The people in the area are facing poverty, substance abuse, violence, unsafe environments, prostitution, and intergenerational trauma. These issues are compounded by the lack of public services; There is inadequate transportation, few options for healthy food, and no community or health centers in the area (Lewis, 2018). Researchers found that participants in a study of underprivileged minority communities identified that social connectedness was integral to community health, while poverty, safety concerns, and insufficient resources had negative impacts on physical and mental health (Mendez-Luck et al., 2015). The residents in Holyoke are experiencing a sense of powerlessness and disconnection, and are victims of transgenerational trauma, and are also currently being traumatized in their unsafe neighborhoods. Gina’s overarching goals should be to restore self-determination and community life, reconnection within the community, and increase the community’s resilience (Milroy et al., 2014).
Problem, Population, and Arena
The problem is a low-income community that lacks resources and funding to build the community up. The population is the residents of Rosebaum Apartments. The arena is the community in Holyoke. Although the population targeted is residents in Rosebaum Apartments, Holyoke has resources that are being used in other neighborhoods (Lewis, 2018).
Resources
One resource that Gina can ensure that the community is taking advantage of is the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA was created to make healthcare more affordable. Another resource Gina can use is Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). TANF gives cash assistance for a limited time to families who are working toward self-sufficiency.
Point of View Elements
Hypothesis
As a first step, Gina will need to create partnerships between her organization, Rejuvenate Holyoke, and the area’s residents. Next, Gina will begin to see long-lasting change by finding ways to increase public investment in the community. The text says the area lacks appropriate public transportation, grocery stores, and community and health centers, therefore, facilitating the creation and utilization of these public resources will help to meet the residents’ basic needs. If Gina follows social work’s Generalist Intervention Model, the residents of Holyoke will see lasting positive changes in their community (Netting et al., 2017).
Discussion Questions
What are two barriers Gina might face in empowering the community of Holyoke? Also, how can Gina increase positive relationships between the Holyoke Community and Rejuvenate Holyoke?
List some macro-level interventions that Gina can carry out to help the community. Be mindful of the strengths-based approach when identifying useful interventions.
References
Lewis, L. (2018). Social Workers as Game Changers: Confronting Complex Social Issues Through Cases. Sage Publications, Inc.
Mendez-Luck, C. A., Bethel, J. W., Goins, R. T., Schure, M. B., & McDermott, E. (2015). Community as a source of health in three racial/ ethnic communities in Oregon: A qualitative study. BMC Public Health, 15(1), 1–10.
Milroy, H., Dudgeon, P., & Walker, R. (2014). Community Life and Development Programs – Pathways to Healing. In Working Together.
Netting, F. E., Kettner, P. M., McMurtry, S. L., & Thomas, M. L. (2017). Social Work Macro Practice (6th ed.). Pearson Education. https://www.dropbox.com/s/7zdly4xqi0brx56/Social%20Work%20Macro%20Practice%206th%20Edition%20by%20F.%20Ellen%20Netting.pdf?dl=0
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