Social Service and Urban-Renewal: A Case Illustration

Authors

Brian J. Langdon, Family and Children Service of Stamford, Conn.
Norman N. Goroff, University of Connecticut

Abstract

The city of Stamford, Connecticut has an Urban Renewal project as have most Urban centers. The Family Relocation Divison of Stamford's Urban Redevelopment Commission (URC) entered into a contract with the Family and Children's Services (FCS) to provide one day a week consultation to the Relocation staff and client services to the families in the renewal area. This consultation involved in-service training programs geared toward helping the relocation staff increase their skills in identifying problems within families and in assisting families to obtain help. As a result of this consultation, the relocation workers frequently would discuss the problems of the families referred to the Family Service worker and accompany the caseworker to the initial interview.

It was the result of one such referral of a couple living in a building taken over by the URC in an area slated for redevelopment, a building euphemistically called "The Cumping Grounds", that the Family Service worker evolved a group work approach. The group included all the tenants in the building. This paper will highlight the development of this group over a two year period, focusing particular attention on the impact of the experience on the behavior of the participants. The group which developed included: Blacks, whites, Puerto Ricans; (single and married), elderly and middle aged members. Although the group work was a reality-oriented problem-solving endeavor, the therapeutic gains for the individuals were very dramatic.

Recommended Citation

Langdon, Brian J. and Goroff, Norman N. (1975) "Social Service and Urban-Renewal: A Case Illustration," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 3: Iss. 2, Article 12.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.1124
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol3/iss2/12