a five-foot wall which served as the waiting area. The office was without cubicles. I felt it would have a friendlier atmosphere if everyone could see each other and greet our guests as they entered the office. I believed this setting would be more comfortable for our neighbors as well. We had private areas in our second office space for confidential conferences. The open space allowed staff to talk and discuss issues, when there were no neighbors in the office. Staff worked with members of the same family, providing different services. It was imperative we communicated to ensure everyone was working together on behalf of the family.
When someone knocked on our doors, either the receptionist or a staff member would greet the person and ask what we could do to help. They would make sure the visitor got to the right person. We were careful that people did not wander through the building, especially when children were present. When people who staff felt were difficult knocked on our door, I often got called to meet them. An example of this was a woman who visited us early in our work. She was very angry, aggressive and hostile. Staff were afraid to approach her.
She was a middle-aged woman who said she had three children. Over time, I discovered she was serially homeless—she would stay with a friend, relative or neighbor until she did something which made people ask her to leave. When she came in the first time, and I was asked by staff to meet with her about her needs, I took her to our private meeting space. She had been aggressive and angry with the staff member who met her at the door. We never kept anyone from coming to MIDTOWN, no matter their presenting attitude, so we sat down together to talk. I asked her what she needed. She really didn’t say anything specific. As we talked, I asked her what kind of help she expected to receive if she “scared” people by her approach.
I told her, we would be willing to sit down with her and listen. I suggested to her, the kind of behavior she had shown would not be tolerated at many places. I said, if she was less aggressive in her approach and slightly calmer in her demeanor, she might receive more and better assistance no matter where she went. As we talked, she settled down considerably, yet she still did not specify her needs. I escorted her to the door and reminded her that the next time she came to see us, it would be more helpful to her if she didn’t act so upset.
Afterword, I told staff she was homeless and just looking for anything she could get. She told staff, when they did intake with her, that she had three children. I found out from her this was not true. She said she had a family, thinking she might get more. I discussed her behavior with staff and suggested she acted angry and hostile because she found this to be a good way to get things. I said she probably had success with this attitude because people would give her things just so she would leave. I felt she had developed this behavior as a means of surviving homelessness.
She came back many times, but would never specify what we could do to help. I asked her several times if I could help her find housing and told her we could provide support. Almost always, she was looking for what we could give her. Sometimes we were able to provide her with some material things like clothing or hygiene items. It was difficult because she had no place to keep most things. I would give her things at times, knowing she planned to sell them. I had little problem with this because I knew she was barely surviving, and because we talked almost every time she came.
Although she was less aggressive after our first visit, she did try to take advantage of new staff or volunteers using her anger. When I was around, she was almost friendly. I felt we had helped her feel welcome, so she knew we would not force her out. I did not feel like I really made her life any less stressful. Overall, although her behavior had improved, she never really changed her lifestyle. I felt I had failed to help her with what she really needed.
No ray of sunshine is ever lost, but the green which it awakens into existence needs time to sprout. All work that is worth anything is done in Faith.
Albert Schweitzer
SOCIAL WORK METHODS
CASEWORK
Casework is a traditional method of social work. It is helping a person make a plan to work on issues they determined to have a detrimental impact on themselves or their family. At MIDTOWN, this plan, developed with a social worker, had incremental steps toward accomplishment. We knew there were many things people could not impact--the quality of housing and schools, what their neighbors thought of them, and the lack of income to cover all their expenses. We also knew there were some changes people could manage which would improve their quality of life. The plan would include a person’s concerns, a timetable, and the steps needed by the person and the worker to accomplish the goals. We were careful to make it step by step, so small successes would keep people going and not create further disappointment.
Uniquely, we combined casework with home visiting in many of our programs. We discovered many other people doing casework--expecting people to come to them and stay involved. We found a few doing home visits to monitor people’s progress toward casework done in some office. Combining the two tools allowed our staff to be friendly, go to the neighbor, allow people to be open to visits, work on some issues while in the home, review the plan and generally develop a stronger relationship.
One success with this model was in helping pregnant women and mothers of newborns. By doing casework and visiting women, staff could not only address the real need for mother and newborn health and development, but offer connection to other services addressing issues of poverty. For example, if a pregnant woman was behind on her rent, she was most likely not going to be too interested in the plan for the day, even if it might be a wellness visit for mom or baby. Staff could help connect the woman to MIDTOWN’S other programs and get her rent assistance—on the way back from the doctor’s appointment.
We found combining casework and home visits the most successful approach to social services. We were not following the worker’s agenda, but open to where the individual or family’s needs were on any given day. By providing casework services, transportation and support, our neighbors were more consistent with the work their plan required.
A crowd is not company, and faces are but a gallery of pictures, And talk a tinkling cymbal, where there is no love.
Francis Bacon
SOCIAL GROUP WORK
Social Group Work is another traditional method with a great history of success. Settlement Houses used group work to help integrate immigrants into American culture. Through a variety of activities in groups, such as dancing, arts and crafts, games, stories and songs, workers helped people become comfortable in a strange environment, get to know their neighbors and learn a little of the English language. Social group work helped acclimate new Americans to their neighborhoods, cities and the new culture.
Social group work is a democratic process where individuals learn from each other through activities, and decision-making is carefully processed by the worker. Choosing activities, making plans and assigning roles happens as moderated by the worker, so the strongest in the group do not wield undue influence and the newest or more “careful” group members still have a part to play in the growth of the group as a whole. This is an important difference between group work and group counseling—the growth of the group helps individual members learn and grow. The group process is in and of itself what helps people become more capable. Group counseling focuses wholly on individual needs.
Almost all of our lives we are involved with a group. Whether it is at work, church, socially or with family, we spend our time interacting with other people. Jesus knew the importance of groups as the first thing he did when he began his public life was to gather his apostles. When we understand how be strong and open in a group, we have truly been socialized for human interaction. Being able to wait our turn, share our resources, listen to the other person, celebrate cohesiveness and reach our group’s goals helps make
