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Social Work Speaks Abstracts

Community Development

Amidst well-recognized threats to healthy and safe communities — neighborhood deterioration, lack of affordable housing, underachievement in school, unwanted teenage pregnancy, domestic violence — NASW believes there are inherent strengths and resources that provide the capacity for positive development in diverse communities. Therefore, NASW supports legislation, social work curricula and professional practice that uphold self-identified needs of communities and strategies that directly engage residents in leadership and providing services. At the same time, the association recognizes the crucial role of federal funding in supporting these efforts and calls for renewed federal support for community development, social services, community empowerment and coordinated strategies for addressing local needs.