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43 / Scott

Shifting From Social Service to 
Social Change

Casa de Esperanza (Casa) is an influential domestic violence organiza-
tion in St. Paul, Minnesota. Upon examining the changes that have oc-
curred within the organization since its inception, we have struggled 
with returning to the original mission of addressing domestic violence 
only in the Latino/a community or remaining an agency that serves 
women from diverse backgrounds. Casa has decided to remain an or-
ganization dedicated to serving women from diverse backgrounds, 
but will now place the community, rather than the individual, at the 
center of the organization. Within the next ten years, Casa will shift 
from providing direct social services to working toward broader so-
cial change. Specific changes include phasing out direct services, mo-
bilizing communities to fight violence against women as it intersects 
with other forms of violence, and advocating for legislative change. 

  as part of the inteGrative Capstone proJeCt at Columbia University 
School of Social Work (CUSSW), we were assigned to evaluate a 
modified case study of Casa de Esperanza (Casa). Casa is an existing 
domestic violence (DV) agency located in St. Paul, Minnesota, that 
was struggling with the decision to either return to its original 
mission of addressing DV in the Latino/a community or to remain an 
agency dedicated to serving women from diverse backgrounds. All 
information regarding Casa in the paper is based solely on information 
provided in the case study (Casa Esperanza, 2009). This paper presents 
the changes that we propose the agency make, and is written from the 
perspective of Casa as it is embarks on implementing these changes. 
In reality, none of the proposed changes have or will be implemented.

   From its inception, Casa was guided by the mission to eliminate 
violence against women in the Latino/a community. In spite of this 
initial target group, increasingly diverse groups of women have sought 
our assistance. Upon analyzing data from organizational focus groups 

44 / Shifting From Social Service to Social Change

Caroline anGle, shiral Jindal, alpana patel
additional Contributors: aliCia ayvas, katarzyna boGusieWiCz, 
susan Chittooran, melissa furdyn, Julie niChols, ariel russo, zhanJie si, 
Carla siri, Jennifer stark, leah Weinzimer, and traCee Worley

Journal of student soCial Work, volume vii

and surveys, our stakeholders have determined that gaps in services 



provided by other organizations in the St. Paul, Minnesota area have 
positioned us to respond to the unique needs of women of color 
(Casa Esperanza, 2009). We have, therefore, decided to expand our 
focus in order to respond to women from all backgrounds, particu-
larly women who are marginalized due to poverty, poor education, 
language barriers, and a fear of deportation, all of which increase the 
barriers to finding effective services (Women of Color Network, 2006). 

 Our first priority is to re-conceptualize the women we serve as 
the center of our organization, what Smith (2006) refers to as “re-
centering.” Re-centering involves analyzing and organizing against DV 
in the context of its multiple layers of violence against communities 
of color (Smith, 2006). We aim to reject the mainstream concept of 
feminism that was created in response to the circumstances and needs 
of white women, and upon which DV organizations are often modeled. 

 By placing women of all backgrounds at the center of our 
organization, we are compelled to re-examine the division between 
social service and social change. According to Kivel (2007), social 
service work addresses the needs of individuals who have experienced 
violence, while social change work addresses the root causes of 
violence. Although we understand the need to provide direct social 
services, especially for those in crisis, we do not believe that these social 
services alone will eliminate violence against women. By working 
toward social change, Casa can help women challenge societal notions 
of violence rather than simply managing the individual trauma of DV.

  The historic prioritizing of the individual over the community in 
traditional DV models has proven inadequate (Crenshaw, 1993; Bierra, 
2007). Casa is committed to resisting and confronting all violence and 
oppression, including, but not limited to, racism, sexism, classism, 
heterosexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and ageism. Intra-
organizationally, we will adopt antioppressive language that brings 
attention to issues of power and privilege with our employees and 
clients, as well as with our stakeholders, funders, and other agencies 
with whom we collaborate. For instance, for as long as we continue to 
provide direct services, we will no longer assume that clients identify 
with traditional binary gender norms. Instead of asking whether 
clients are male or female on our intake forms, we will ask clients 
how they define their gender. The goal of this change is to avoid re-
victimizing clients and to respect each client’s personal identity. In an 
effort to reorient and reorganize our focus to social change, our major 
recommendation is to place the community, rather than the individual, 

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46 / Shifting From Social Service to Social Change



Journal of student soCial Work, volume vii

at the center of our anti-violence work. Our revised mission statement 
and vision to reflect our focus on social change are as follows:

 Mission Statement: The mission of Casa de Esperanza is to 
mobilize our communities to create a society founded on respect, 
equality, safety, and justice; a pursuit that requires the eradication of 
violence  against women. 

       Guiding Principles: (1) We serve women from diverse backgrounds 
that seek safety and protection from domestic violence; (2) we put 
women at the center of our organization, taking into account the 
complexities of gender-and sexuality-based violence as experienced 
by communities of color; and (3) we are an organization dedicated 
to social change, complemented by sustainable social services.

Organizational Changes

 In order to develop an organizational structure that prioritizes 
survivors as potential community organizers, Casa will reconceptualize 
our organizational chart to reflect Helgelsen’s (2005) web of inclusion, 
an integrated and organic structure that places leadership at the 
center of an interconnected web. We aim to disrupt hierarchical 
boundaries between Casa’s staff and constituents by developing 
leadership among our constituents, hiring constituents as interns and 
staff, placing constituents on the Board of Directors, and organizing 
regular community gatherings to facilitate community building 
among various stakeholders. We are not suggesting the dissolution 
of all  boundaries between staff and constituents. We acknowledge 
that staff must maintain some level of institutional power in order to 
effectively organize. However, we are developing an organizational 
structure in which our constituents feel empowered to become an 
integral part of organizational change (Bierra, 2007).

  Restructuring our organization to become more integrated within 
our community will also require a number of human resource changes. 
Our staff must begin to reflect the diversity of the communities 
we serve with regard to race, gender, culture, language, religion, 
sexual orientation, gender identity, age, and ability. A recruitment 
committee consisting of community members and volunteers will be 
central to our recruiting, hiring, evaluation, and retention processes 
(Fong & Gibbs, 1995).  Before recruiting new staff, job descriptions 
must be reviewed, evaluated, and re-written to include the ideals of 
our new mission. Casa must implement activities to incorporate new 

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46 / Shifting From Social Service to Social Change



staff members into an environment in which they feel comfortable 
working with existing staff (Mor Barak, 2000). Evaluation of workers will 
be expanded to include feedback from other staff, survivors, and the 
broader community. Russo (2001) notes that the professionalization of 
DV work has encouraged a hierarchical organizational structure within 
agencies, resulting in services that are provided by individuals who are 
increasingly removed from the violence and grassroots activism that 
initially spurred the DV movement. Casa has been deeply impacted 
by the professionalization of our once community-based origins, 
and now aspires to shift away from such hierarchical leadership. 

  We must reorganize our budget and diversify our funding sources. 
Currently, 80 percent of our budget comes from state and federal 
revenue to provide social services (Casa Esperanza, 2009). The majority 
of government funding available is specifically for direct services. 
Within that constraint, we are unable to serve women who do not 
have legal residency as our funding requires proof of legal residency or 
citizenship for each individual we serve. We cannot rely on these funds 
as we transition to a social change organization. We aim to reduce our 
dependency on government funding by half over the next five years. 
Our revised fundraising plans include implementing small- and large-
scale fundraising programs, fostering individual community-based 
donors, soliciting foundation funding from progressive sources, and 
applying for a broader range of federal and state government grants, 
including funding to work with individuals who are undocumented. In 
order to incorporate all of these fundraising activities, the development 
department, which includes representation from Casa’s community 
constituents, must be strengthened. Fundraising efforts should be 
tied into community organizing strategies. Outreach should pursue 
both diverse communities and political, philanthropic, religious, and 
educational leaders.

 We must re-brand and communicate our new identity to our 
stakeholders. Following Kotter’s (1996) process of change theory, 
we will anchor our new mission and vision within the agency’s 
culture by forming a Community Collaboration Board of three to five 
community stakeholders. The board will communicate our mission 
and vision internally (stakeholder meetings, staff development) and 
externally (annual reports, direct mail, email, newsletters, and media 
communications). Institutionalizing these innovative approaches into 
Casa’s organizational culture will ensure that the new mission and 
vision are fully aligned.

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Journal of student soCial Work, volume vii

Micro-Level Changes

 Casa’s programs will continue in the short-term to include 
comprehensive case management in which survivors are provided 
with shelter, information, and referrals to legal and medical services 
as well as public benefits. We envision a gradual phasing out of 
a significant portion of our direct services over the next five to ten 
years. Sokoloff and Pratt (2005) argue that the DV shelter system is 
often modeled similarly to the prison system. Women’s activities are 
monitored and policed, and they are cut off from their friends and 
families. Sokoloff and Pratt write, “The shelter system mirrors the 
abusive patterns of control that women seek to leave in battering 
relationships and isolates women from their communities” (p. 145). 
We will continue in the short-term to conduct a needs assessment to 
ensure that we are addressing the needs of survivors by utilizing an 
empowerment approach to our direct services.

 To align services with Casa’s revised mission, we will use as 
the primary practice modality a constructivist empowerment 
approach asserting that women are the experts in their own 
lives (Peled, Eisikovits, Enosh, & Winstok, 2000). Advocates will be 
trained to defer to the choices that women make with respect 
to whether or not they leave abusive relationships and to focus 
on helping women gain resources and support. Shelter care will 
be phased-out over the next five to ten years and the continued 
need for shelter care will be addressed through capacity building 
with other DV organizations that serve women in the St. Paul area.

Mezzo-Level Changes

   Historically, violence against women has been viewed as a private 
issue and women alone have been held accountable for protecting 
their children and rebuilding their lives. Violence is a public issue that 
the entire community must be responsible for eradicating. Sustainable 
violence prevention is contingent on a community’s willingness 
to challenge normative behaviors and attitudes. Therefore, we are 
pursuing community organizing as the focal point of our struggle 
against DV (Bowen, Gwiasda, & Brown, 2004). Such an approach 
operates across underlying systemic issues that create inequalities 
in the distribution of power and resources that directly contribute to 
violence against women (Crenshaw, 1993).

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48 / Shifting From Social Service to Social Change



 To begin this process, we will conduct a thorough needs assessment 
of our community’s understanding of DV and its ability to respond to it. 
Following Hardina (2002), we will conduct semi-structured interviews 
and focus groups. These interviews will assess community resources, 
as well as community members’ understanding of the nature, causes, 
and potential responses to violence against women. Focus groups 
will include women who have previously sought services for DV, 
and service providers and professionals in allied areas, such as the 
family and criminal court systems, hospitals, and schools. We will 
also involve stakeholders such as representatives from the media, 
local businesses, academics, and representatives from other groups 
who have not traditionally been active in the anti-DV movement.

  Following an analysis of the needs assessment, Casa will mobilize 
toward community activism. Community outreach programs should 
be expanded to include programs for children, adolescents, women, 
and men about issues of DV.  Community organizing efforts will be two-
fold. The first strategy is to raise awareness within communities  about  
violence  towards women, its intersection with other forms of violence, 
and the impact DV has on individuals, families, and communities. The 
goal of this strategy is to break the silence and stigma  surrounding DV 
and underscore that this is not just a “women’s problem” but a human 
rights issue that affects and oppresses all of our communities. 

  The second strategy is to organize around specific community 
issues that hinder DV survivors and communities at large from 
overcoming cycles of violence. Housing, financial security, and 
immigration are significant concerns. Casa intends to address these 
issues through building coalitions with other anti-DV, human rights, 
and anti-oppression groups to spread awareness about these rights 
to members of the community. We will facilitate letter-writing 
campaigns, protests, rallies, and meetings with legislators and 
executive directors of non-profit organizations to bolster support. We 
will have a visible presence at community events, and we will provide 
educational awareness through public service announcements, radio 
and TV interviews, as well as presentations at schools, adult education 
centers, and community centers.

Macro-Level Changes 

 In order to complement our community organizing approaches 
and to promote  larger,  systemic change,  Casa  will    join the  
movement that reframes  DV as an  international  human rights issue. 
We will  advocate for legislative changes  that push  beyond the current 

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49 / Angle, Jindal, Patel



Journal of student soCial Work, volume vii

limits in U.S. policies. The  goal is to connect individually experienced 
DV to community violence, state-led violence, and other systems of  
oppression that perpetuate  violence (Bettinger-Lopez, 2008).

 Casa will unite with other human rights coalitions. In doing 
so, we will draw on our strengths and local experiences to inform 
national and international strategies for combating  violence against 
women. We will also assist in leveraging the work of local, national and 
international organizations to bolster media coverage, educational 
outreach, and policy changes.

 Casa will benefit from and contribute to advocacy efforts focused 
on social change at the individual, local community, national, and 
international levels. By connecting women’s experiences with DV 
at the local level to broader systemic issues, the injustices faced 
by the women we serve becomes the basis for bringing impact 
litigation, developing testimony for congressional hearings, lobbying 
for legislative change, and highlighting the systemic issues that 
exacerbate violence against women.

Conclusion

 The challenge Casa faces with regards to leadership in the 
field of DV prevention lies in balancing the constant demands of 
direct social service provision with the rapidly changing macro-
level contexts. We have provided a framework for implementing 
changes at each of the micro, mezzo, and macro levels of social 
work services. Reconsidering and restructuring Casa’s mission will 
enable us to create an organization that truly addresses violence 
against women as it intersects with other forms of violence and 
impacts communities. Community organizing to end DV entails 
active participation and the articulation of the clear message that 
all people have the responsibility to end violence (Hart, 1995). By 
transforming from a social service to a social change organization, we 
can empower our community to eliminate violence against women.

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