Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Implementing a Community Empowerment Center to Build Capacity for Developing, Implementing, and Sustaining Interventions to Promote Community Health

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Community Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Community Empowerment Center used a community-engaged approach to build capacity among residents to develop and implement interventions focused on creating a healthier environment. The Center partnered with residents living in a public housing community and adjacent low-income neighborhood and provided support through a mini-grant program. A six-session training program guided community members in mini grant development; 25 individuals attended at least one session. Six grant proposals were submitted; three were awarded $12,000 each for intervention implementation. Findings offer a model for engaging residents from low-resource settings in intervention development, implementation, and sustainability for community health promotion.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Curley, A. (2005). Theories of urban poverty and implications for public housing policy. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 32, 97.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Dekeseredy, W. S., Alvi, S., & Tomaszewski, E. A. (2003). Perceived collective efficacy and women’s victimization in public housing. Criminology and Criminal Justice, 3(1), 5–27. doi:10.1177/1466802503003001453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Lens, M. C. (2013). Safe, but could be safer: Why do HCVP households live in higher crime neighborhoods? A Journal of Policy Development and Research, 15(3), 131.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Sampson, R. J., Raudenbush, S. W., & Earls, F. (1997). Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science, 277(5328), 918–924. doi:10.1126/science.277.5328.918.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Popkin, S. J., Rich, M. J., Hendey, L., Hayes, C., Parilla, J., & Galster, G. (2012). Public housing transformation and crime: Making the case for responsible relocation. Cityscape, 14, 137–160.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Ross, C. (2009). Policing in isolated communities. The Gazette, 71(1), 10.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). HIV surveillance report: Diagnoses of HIV infection and AIDS in the United States and dependent areas (Vol. 23). Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Innes, M., Abbott, L., Lowe, T., & Roberts, C. (2009). Seeing like a citizen: Field experiments in ‘community intelligence-led policing’. Police Practice and Research: An International Journal, 10(2), 99–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Guerra, N. G., & Backer, T. E. (2011). Mobilizing communities to implement evidence-based practices for youth violence prevention introduction to the special issue. American Journal of Community Psychology, 48(1–2), 2–7. doi:10.1007/s10464-010-9421-y.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Bazemore, G., & Stinchcomb, J. (2004). Civic engagement model of reentry: Involving community through service and restorative justice. A Federal Probation, 68, 14.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Reingold, D. A., Van Ryzin, G. G., & Ronda, M. (2001). Does urban public housing diminish the social capital and labor force activity of its tenants? Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 20(3), 485–504.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Lang, R. E., & Hornburg, S. P. (1998). What is social capital and why is it important to public policy? Housing Policy Debate, 9(1), 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Bohl, C. C. (2000). New urbanism and the city: Potential applications and implications for distressed inner-city neighborhoods. Housing Policy Debate, 11(4), 761–801. doi:10.1080/10511482.2000.9521387.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Bothwell, S. E., Gindroz, R., & Lang, R. E. (1998). Restoring community through traditional neighborhood design: A case study of Diggs Town public housing. Housing Policy Debate, 9(1), 89–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Talen, E. (2002). The social goals of new urbanism. Housing Policy Debate, 13(1), 165–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2014). Choice neighborhoodsHUD. Retrieved January 27, 2015, from http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/public_indian_housing/programs/ph/cn.

  17. Freedman, D. A., Pitner, R. O., Powers, M. C., & Anderson, T. P. (2012). Using PhotoVoice to develop a grounded theory of socio-environmental attributes influencing the health of community environments. British Journal of Social Work, 44(5), 1301–1321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. U.S. Census Bureau. (2013). American community survey, 20092013 American community survey 5-year estimates, ACS demographic and housing estimates, table DP05. Retrieved January 27, 2015, from http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_5YR_DP05&prodType=table.

  19. U.S. Census Bureau. (2013). American community survey, 20092013 American community survey 5-year estimates, selected economic characteristics, table DP03. Retrieved January 27, 2015, from http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_5YR_DP03&prodType=table.

  20. Schuftan, C. (1996). The community development dilemma: What is really empowering? Community Development Journal, 31(3), 260–264. doi:10.1093/cdj/31.3.260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Putnam, R. (1993). The prosperous community: Social capital and public life. The American Prospect, 13(Spring), Vol. 4. http://www.prospect.org/print/vol/13. Accessed April 7, 2003.

  22. Schut, H., & Stam, H. (1994). Goals in rehabilitation teamwork. Disability and Rehabilitation, 16(4), 223–226.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Higgins, J. W., Naylor, P. J., & Day, M. (2008). Seed funding for health promotion: sowing sustainability or skepticism? Community Development Journal, 43(2), 210–221. doi:10.1093/cdj/bsl052.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This project was funded through a grant from the Kresge Foundation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stacy W. Smallwood.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Smallwood, S.W., Freedman, D.A., Pitner, R.O. et al. Implementing a Community Empowerment Center to Build Capacity for Developing, Implementing, and Sustaining Interventions to Promote Community Health. J Community Health 40, 1122–1129 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-015-0038-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-015-0038-9

Keywords

Navigation