Samantha Happ

ABCD Reflection
March 23, 2016
In what ways does your internship org focus on assets? On deficits? How are both valued?
Catholic Charities does a lot of good for the city and for the world thats undeniable. Its
mission statement is comprehensive, stating the goals and beliefs of the organization. Rooted in
Catholic Social Teaching, Catholic Charities fulfills the Churchs role in the mission of charity
to anyone in need by providing compassionate, competent and professional services that
strengthen and support individuals, families and communities based on the value and dignity of
human life. In order to remain faithful to our mission, Catholic Charities is guided by these core
values: Respect, Compassion, Competence and Stewardship (Catholic Charities Mission &
Values). CC has an enormous budget to fund its services that address various areas of need,
including children, counseling, disabilities, emergency assistance, domestic violence,
employment/job training, health care, immigration services, legal services, nutrition, veterans,
refugee resettlement and homelessness.
Despite all of these services, however, the overwhelming theme of the Catholic Charities
mission is to focus on alleviating and ameliorating the symptom, not eradicating the cause
(disclaimer this is not true for all of the services, but a majority of them). And by doing so, a
lot of times Catholic Charities and many social services agencies tends to focus on deficits, or
whats missing. Thats not a bad way to look at things its difficult to see the path to
improvement without also understanding and focusing on what is lacking. Catholic Charities
isnt alone, either. Almost all non-profits and social services agencies exist to address an issue,
and oftentimes the way to address said issue is to first focus on the deficits and crafting actions
and services around that deficit. This isnt to say that all programs and departments of Catholic

Charities see it this way in fact, Im sure many dont. And as a whole, based on Catholic
principles, I think you could argue that Catholic Charities does focus on assets in the simplest
form, by believing human life is sacred and all humans have inherent dignity and worth (Catholic
Charities Mission & Values).
While I think theres a balance between focusing on deficits vs. assets, the language used
to discuss development and social change, at least by the staff of Catholic Charities, is definitely
deficit focused. I saw a lot of this during my time working on the Celebration of Giving
campaign and event. Despite how much I love this event, its absolutely deficit focused and
driven. COG is a form of charity that seeks to examine what individuals dont have coats,
toaster ovens, bed sheets, toys to provide for them so that they do. I dont think that this is any
less noble than an assets-based focus, but I understand where ABCD principles come in to play
here. There is no initiative of empowerment and campaigns such as these often create
dependency, or so some would claim. One of the returning volunteers for COG posed the
insensitive thought, I wonder how many of the families in which we serve rely on us year after
year to make Christmases for their families. When we think of these families as dependents,
instead of active agents of their own mobility (given the access to resources, of course), weve
done a great disservice. Does this deficit-focused approach do more harm than good? I dont
have an answer to that question, but Id be interested to hear McKnights response.
One of the troubling things that I find with the Volunteer Relations department and
many other departments within Catholic Charities is the focus on charity as opposed to service.
In the traditional sense, charity doesnt address issues at their core. It doesnt focus on all the
wonderful parts of individuals and their communities instead, it seeks to provide what an
individual or community is lacking. Dont get me wrong I believe charity to be an important

and loving work. And I know Catholic Charities goes beyond just charity work, but I was
interested to find that much of Catholic Charities work is focused more on charity (as the name
implies) than justice. While not directly related to ABCD, I think its an indicator of how the
organization approaches assets vs. deficits.
Working in volunteer relations, I conceptualize the organization as a sum of its parts, of
all the small entities that make it up, since I see how all the parts work together. And some
entities more so than others focus on assets, while others are mostly deficit-driven. And I think
Ive grown to appreciate the duality in that. That an organization can focus solely on one, and
then completely on the other, depending on the situation. For example, our emergency food and
shelter programs revolve around deficits, whereas our employment training programs focus more
on assets. It shows how holistic Catholic Charities is, and how focusing on assets or focusing on
deficits emerges by determining how to best approach the community being served.

In what ways do you focus on assets? On Deficits? How do you value both?
One of my favorite pieces of advice that a mentor gave me was to meet people where
they are. One of the most challenging things Ive come to understand and practice is that
everyone is at a different stage in their journeys, and that thats not a bad thing. No matter where
people are in their lives, there is good. There are things theyve learned and taught and become
and fought and there are beautiful parts of their being that can take them to great places. The
same is true for communities, institutions and organizations. What people or communities lack in
one area, they make up for in another. I think assets and deficits are subjective, so I dont feel as
though I have the power to judge those for others.

However, assets are incredibly valuable, and its important to focus on them. I very much
believe in Asset-Based Community Development in fact, its only deepened my conception of
social justice and what it means to enact social change. I love this way of thinking about
individuals and communities, and its definitely something Im going to keep with me. One
element that John McKnights talk touched on is the idea that ABCD is a strategy for
sustainable community-driven development. It focuses on building upon assets, not
concentrating on deficits. I find this to be a revolutionary concept imagine how different things
would be by focusing on the haves instead of the have nots. My experience on ABI trips has truly
taught me the beauty of this, and how communities that can see their assets in the face of grave
poverty, violence or drug addiction are some of the most beautiful communities Ive ever had the
privilege of being a guest in. Communities, such as Rio Negro in Guatemala saw the death and
destruction of 90% of their population, land and resources and yet have still found a way to
focus on what they have left. Or how the community in Agua Prieta, Mexico saw the extreme
poverty as a reason and a way to share most meals with each other. Or the community of
Nogales, which sees the brutal juxtaposition of U.S. excess and Mexican poverty, and yet still
finds a way to appreciate their gorgeous culture and their emphasis on living simply. These
communities have radically changed how I see individuals and communities; and by focusing on
what the communities do have, what they dont seemingly becomes less noticeable.
That being said, a lot of times justice is focusing on the deficits. By focusing on what a
community is missing or lacking, we can see where the injustices lie. Focusing on how great a
community is cant fix the fact that a community doesnt have access to resources, or that it
doesnt have an education system that meets standards. And while focusing on deficits is not
always the best way to enact change, it is important to recognize what a community is lacking in

order to address it. In the instance of Englewood, gun violence has been called a state of
emergency. Here, wed look at why gun violence is so endemic and what the community is in
need of for making it a safer space. While assets absolutely come in to play here, its also
important to draw attention to whats missing.
Essentially, I think a balance of the two is important when holistically addressing any
issue. I think that focusing on assets is the better way of going about the issue and enacting
sustainable development, but positive social change also relies on deficits to enact change and
improvement.

How is your work contributing to your understanding of community development? If its

not, how could it be?
My work at Catholic Charities is mostly behind the scenes, but it has taught me so much
about whats going on in the Chicago communities, and at a more systemic level, what social
services agencies offer and look like to the communities and individuals they serve. Ive learned
how diverse communities are (in a deeper way than Ive previously understood) and how
development doesnt always take the course of a straight, upward arrow. A lot of times there are
ups and downs, and sometimes, you find yourself in a worse place than you were before. And
thats important for community development. Its recognizing that, as individuals, we might not
have all the answers, and we might not know which direction is best. But by focusing on what a
community does have and what it can do (vs. what it doesnt have and what it cant do), the
conversation is being reshaped towards development, not symptom alleviation.
Working in volunteer relations has been a challenge, to say the least. It has exposed me to
see new sides of social services agencies and how they address issues of injustice. I think my

internship with the Volunteer Relations department has actually given me a holistic sense of what
community development means. Ive worked directly with volunteers, on events and fundraisers,
with Latino affairs, the Celebration of Giving, Marys Closet and the Summer Plus program for
job training. These firsthand experiences along with everything else Ive absorbed and
observed along the way has indicated how truly complex community development is. Despite
my optimistic, activist spirit theres no quick fix to solve the problem. There are so many
different ingredients required to get the most underserved communities to a place of stability. I
dont have all (or any, really) the answers to community development, but I think that my
internship with Catholic Charities has truly shown me so many different sides.
I understand and appreciate that community development shouldnt lead to dependency.
However, where is the justice in denying services such as free or reduced cost school lunches,
soup kitchens, food stamps and Section 8 housing? Many would argue that these services create
dependency; while Id deny this, I do think its an interesting argument. Are all services and
institutions that may result in dependency for a few bad? If we focus solely on what the
community does have and fail to recognize the importance of services that provide for whats
missing, we make the situation worse, at least for the time being.
I really appreciate Assets Based Community Development, and Im grateful for the
exposure to this idea Id never heard of it before its use in our class. Ive already began to try to
more deeply understand its principles and see how I can apply it to various aspects of my work.
Sources
"Catholic Charities Mission & Values." Catholic Charities. CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF THE
ARCHDIOCESE OF CHICAGO, n.d. Web.
McKnight, J. (2011, October 10). ABCD 101. Retrieved from
http://www.abundantcommunity.com/home/videos/abcd_101.htm