Community empowerment in the marginalized population in urban areas

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.