Building Successful Community Partnerships to Address Complex Problems

Today’s complex social problems require successful partnerships among academics, community partners, residents, government agencies, and policy makers. The goal of this workshop focuses on strategies for building successful community partnerships to address social issues that have become exacerbated by persistent inequities. Strategies will be shared from a 5-year collaboration among county government, community-based organizations and residents, schools of Social Work and Pediatrics, and a Children’s Hospital to address community violence and trauma through multi-level violence prevention interventions focusing on community resiliency and thriving (funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). This partnership addresses the stark increase in community violence in our region. For example, homicide rates increased by 43% in the city of Pittsburgh from 2019 to 2021, largely reversing the declines of previous years. Furthermore, Black men are victims in 66% of annual homicides on average, with most the ages of 18 and 34 years old, despite making up only 6% of the population (Allegheny County, 2022).

This workshop will discuss partnership strategies, including a county wide steering committee; community advisory boards, paid community organization partners, resident facilitators and mentors in target neighborhoods; and research strategies. The learning objectives are to (1) discuss strategies and principles for successful community intervention and research partnerships; (2) discuss challenges and lessons learned through a case study of a partnership addressing community violence and trauma; and (3) apply these strategies and principles to complex social problems in your own community using a deep dive worksheet and hands on activity.