Community organizing among the elderly poor in the United States: a case study.
This case study demonstrates the role of community organizing as a vehicle for enhancing individual and community-level empowerment. Building on social support theory, Freire's "education for critical consciousness," and the principles and strategies of community organization practice, the 12-year-old Tenderloin Senior Organizing Project reflects the World Health Organization definition of health promotion as a means of helping individuals and communities to take increasing control over the factors influencing their health. Through the Project, low-income elders have successfully identified and addressed shared problems in such areas as crime and safety, undernutrition, and tenants rights. They further have developed ongoing tenants' associations and other community-based organizations that have provided continuity over time and contributed to the development of a "competent community." Problems in areas such as funding, evaluation, and volunteer burnout are discussed, as are the potentials for project replication in other settings.
Minkler
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Department of Social and Administrative Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley 94720.
D000368:Aged; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D003256:Community Participation; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends; D006304:Health Status; D016852:Housing for the Elderly / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D011057:Politics; D011203:Poverty; D011209:Power, Psychological; D012495:San Francisco; D012944:Social Support