287403
Community empowerment in the marginalized population in urban areas
Taiyi Sun, ABD,
Department of Political Science, Boston University, Boston, MA
Leesa Lin, MSPH,
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
Braven Zhang, PhD,
School of Social Development & Public Policy, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
Marginalized populations, subgroups of people with low socio-economic position (SEP), in urban areas are often ignored or neglected by society. These people often live solitarily in the city and have minimal interaction with other community members. Such conditions could potentially lead to social problems, social conflicts, and widen the health disparity. To tackle this social issue, in Chengdu, China, we identified and evaluated a community empowerment program consisting of Justice Storage, Justice Market, and Justice Stores, which has successfully helped several communities of 50-700 families by utilizing the resources already in the community to solve its own problems. In this study, we employed qualitative methods, which consist of a series of interviews and literature reviews on the market mechanism of Justice Storage, Justice Market, and Justice Stores. We conducted a stakeholder analysis and investigated the perspectives of the marginalized subgroups, community residents, officials of local government, I You She - the non-governmental organization (NGO), which implemented the intervention program, and other non-direct stakeholders. Finally, we proposed a framework which could empower the local community and match the needs of the underserved while remaining sustainable, cost-efficient and replicable. This program could be implemented by a public-private partnership between local NGOs and local governments. It meets the supply and demand, reduces the number of people living in poverty, and decreases the health disparity in the community. Moreover, it strengthens the community by enhancing community spirit and relations, and increasing social support and social capital.
Learning Areas:
Program planning
Public health or related public policy
Learning Objectives:
Evaluated a community empowerment program consisting of “Justice Storage”, Justice Market”, and “Justice Stores”, which utilizes local resources to match the needs of the underserved while remaining sustainable, cost-efficient and replicable
Keyword(s): Community Development, Poverty
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I contributed to the study and the abstract.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.