There are many reasons why residents of tough communities might not be engaged in community activities. To foster volunteerism and neighboring among residents, it is critical to understand and address barriers through creative strategies. Listen to community members to find solutions. Following are some common obstacles that organizations can face and some solutions to help address the barriers.

Lack of Resident Time and Attention

• Be flexible with project timelines, as survival issues demand people's time and attention.
• Refocus, reconvene meetings, and re-establish reasonable timelines when residents get distracted.
• Organize neighborhood activities during times that complement the residents’ schedules.
• Hold partnership meetings in a convenient location for residents, such as a nearby community center, church, local Volunteer Center, resident's home, or school.
• Schedule meetings during a time that is convenient for most residents.

Lack of Resident Self-Esteem and Confidence

• Recognize resident volunteers for their hard work and participation; make recognition meaningful.
• Help residents to identify their unique skills and talents, through assessment tools such as Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's Assets.
• Show the relationship between residents’ skills and project outcomes.
• Encourage residents to plan and lead projects.

Community Language and/or Culture

• Learn and understand the community’s history.
• If residents speak a different language, assign someone to work with the community who is bilingual and knowledgeable about the community’s culture.
• Learn and understand the community’s vocabulary.
• Identify cultural tensions and use creative ways to resolve them.

Safety Issues

• Host meetings in a place where residents feel safe.
• Help residents address issues of safety by developing a plan that includes local law officials

Residents Not Involved in the Planning Process

• Empower residents by engaging them in planning, decision-making, and evaluation.
• Help leaders understand the assets and experience they bring to the planning process.

Community Apathy

• Help residents understand the power of both individual and collective efforts.
• Help residents see the benefits of their involvement.
• Offer incentives to encourage resident involvement (see recognition ideas).
• Mobilize residents around issues that impact them directly.
• Find ways for youth to get involved in the community and encourage parents and families to become engaged.
• Help communities resolve conflict that may be preventing resident involvement.

Outside Opposition to Internal Goals and Ideas

• Allow residents to identify and assess their own community problems, prioritize them, and find solutions.
• Listen to the issues and concerns from the community.
• Do not enter the community with a predetermined agenda.
• Create a partnership that has a shared vision with the community.

Lack of Organizational Commitment

• Make a commitment to work with the community on a continuous basis.
• Build sustaining relationships with residents.
• Assign a project officer who has the passion and desire to work with low-income communities.
• Make working with low-income communities a priority in your organization.
• Find ways to sustain project efforts beyond the initial partnership.

Lack of Diversity among Community Personnel

• Encourage existing leaders to train and mentor other residents to become leaders.
• Offer and encourage leadership development training and/or volunteer management training for residents.
• Encourage residents to lead community projects.
• Help create volunteer opportunities in the community (see Guide for Creating Volunteer Position Descriptions).

Failed Promises and Unmet Community Needs

• Meet with leaders and residents to understand their expectations of the partnership.
• Develop realistic expectations and a realistic timeline for implementing new projects and initiatives.
• Be clear about your organization's role in the partnership.
• Be honest about what your organization can and cannot do.
• Allow residents to express their needs and desires.