This issue not only effects this target population, it also effects Hispanics, Asians, and children, etc. According to the census bureau the percentage rates of poverty for these individuals in the Miilwaukee area (in the order listed above) in 2015 was “30.4%, 20.5%, and 30.9%.” As you can see, Milwaukee can be considered a city which is extremely impoverished. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has approached certain methods to address these social challenges. In order to alleviate poverty, Tom Barrett has instituted social initiatives such as the Manufacturing Partnership, Job Corps Center, and transitional job programs for individuals with criminal backgrounds. These are the social initiatives developed by the city government and they can constitute as a great starting point. However, social workers in the local area should consider using two techniques of Community Oriented Social Work to …show more content…
According to Mantle and Backwith Community Oriented Social Work is concerned with the four ideals, “COSW: (i) it has an association with empowerment; (ii) it has a local focus; (iii) it is concerned with prevention; and (iv) it requires partnership” (p. 4, 2008). I will discuss how the ideals of empowerment and local focus could improve the social challenges of poverty in the Milwaukee area. The ideal of empowerment, can be described as a client centered approach in which the social worker views the client as their partner in the working relationship. When one experiences the challenges of poverty they may reach out to local social service organizations. A part of the enrollment process could be an intake. During an intake, the individual seeking services explains to the social worker what challenges exist in their life. During this process, rather than analyzing the social challenges of the client the social worker could examine the environmental