Rural Nonprofits: Bridging the Gap between Policy and Poverty

Background and Purpose: For decades researchers have known that urban and rural poverty have unique characteristics, but most social policy is written by and for urban areas. This mismatch means that rural areas lean heavily on nonprofit organizations for social services and resources like financial support, shelter, clothing, and food. While the need for nonprofits increases in rural areas, there are not enough of them to meet the needs of rural poverty. This paper asks two questions; first, what needs of rural poverty are not being met by government policy or services? Secondly, how are those needs being met outside of government intervention?

The purpose of the study is to better understand rural poverty and the resources and services that are both available and lacking.

Methods: This paper examines rural poverty in East Texas and the role nonprofit organizations play in providing support to their communities. This study, done in two parts, uses an exploratory design to gain an understanding of the role rural nonprofits from five east Texas counties play in providing services and resources to the rural poor, and to gain insights about the reach and service capacity of the organizations. The counties are Angelina, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk, and Shelby. The first part of the study is the collection, comparison, and analysis of each county’s demographics, poverty rates, and available social services to assess their needs. The second part of the study is a theme analysis of interviews from the directors of local social service nonprofits including food pantries, homeless shelters, and community service organizations. Interview participants were identified by their organization after county nonprofits were identified through internet searches and word of mouth. The directors/administrators of each were approached for interviews through email, and phone calls. The interviews assessed what services are provided by each organization; what the organization needs to continue or expand its services; and what the biggest community needs are according to the organization’s director.

Results: The analysis of interview transcripts revealed several themes of need associated with rural poverty. The four major themes identified are associated with gaps in policy, they were (1) structural poverty caused by circumstance and lack of resources, (2) lack of community networks and partnerships, (3) lack of educational and training opportunities, and (4) lack of preemptive services to keep clients out of deep poverty. While nonprofits are trying to meet the needs in their communities that are unmet by government services the need is too great and the organizations are at capacity. The major themes highlight key needs in rural communities to lift people out of poverty.

Conclusions and Implications: The findings highlight the gap between social service policy and the reality of rural poverty. It indicates the need for future research on support for rural nonprofits, and social policy design at the state and local levels. It also identifies specific needs for the chosen counties which could be used in making community improvements, or future policy.