Community development refers to a situation where communities unite in the creation of solutions to problems that affect their existence. The concept originated in the 60s’ when the US saw the need to solve some of the problems that affected poor areas in urban centers. The target group included immigrants and minority groups living in low-income areas. Problems facing such neighborhoods included poverty, crime, delinquency, and overcrowding among other social-economic ills (Von-Hoffman, 2012). Therefore, the government, among other development agents, began pumping resources into these communities to help improve their social-economic “backwardness.’
In the 1960s, however, riots threatened to bring down community development to its knees. These were harsh times when individuals mistook the goals of this initiative and its presence in the inner cities. Locals believed that the programs were ignoring their needs, instead forcing government-fronted initiatives down their throats. As a result, there was an increase as opposed to a decline in social-economic problems. The situation meant that the country could not achieve the initial goals of community development. Nonetheless, community development grew considerably since dark ages of top-down initiatives. Currently, development partners engage community groups in finding the appropriate ways of seeking and reaching development (Von-Hoffman, 2012).
The future is bright for community development. In future, governments, philanthropies, and financial institutions continuously develop new ways of empowering communities. Also, members of the community are increasingly learning about the importance of empowerment and the need to develop sophisticated measures that will help drive results out of various development efforts. Currently, communities continue to rely on comprehensiveness as a way of implementing a multifaceted approach to development. Funding agencies now focus on the establishment of innovative approaches that can entice and organize individual and communal participation (Von-Hoffman, 2012).
Indeed, historical events have let stakeholders look at a diverse as opposed to a narrow view of neighborhood problems. The results display an active inclusion of factors such as housing, education, social services, and constructive advocacy in the development initiative. The goal is to create programs that would encourage change in the most peaceful and progressive way possible. However, the initiative still faces numerous challenges as before. For instance, the continuous rise of dynamism strings development agents into adapting new and difficult ways of running their various agendas (Von-Hoffman, 2012).
Reference
Von-Hoffman, A. (2012). The Past, Present, and Future of Community Development in the United States. Retrieved from Investing in What Works for America’s Communities : http://www.whatworksforamerica.org/ideas/the-past-present-and-future-of-community-development-in-the-united-states/#.Vwu_S6R97IU
