Graduation Semester and Year
2022
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Social Work
Department
Social Work
First Advisor
Amanda Aykanian
Abstract
Despite infrastructure advances, water testing, and environmental policies, there are still areas in the United States that lack clean water. Some communities are negatively impacted by policies, location, socioeconomic status, water obtainment methods, and racial, ethnic, or cultural differences. Social workers desiring to intervene may not know where to begin. To identify potential interventions, this case study examines how the community of Green Tree Estates gained access to clean water through advocacy efforts and community organizing. This community, located within a large city in Texas, is a previously annexed, small mobile home community consisting of a Hispanic, Spanish speaking population that relied on contaminated well water. The study consisted of five participant interviews with key informants and a corresponding qualitative data analysis to identify the problems, how those involved worked through the situation, and how similar situations might be better handled. Results show that participants had mixed feelings about how well the situation was handled by the different parties involved. Advocates empowered residents who played immense roles in advocating for themselves, leading community organizing efforts, and finding solutions. This study’s implications include identifying the potential roles of social workers and other advocates, residents, and public administrators in helping communities that lack clean water. Social workers should help empower community residents to advocate for themselves, ensure their mental health needs are addressed, and help coordinate community organizing efforts between all the stakeholders involved. Social workers should also promote effective and respectful communication, address language and cultural barriers, and advocate for policy changes.
Keywords
Social work, Public administration, Green social work, Urban planning, Water poverty, Water scarcity, Environmental justice, Advocacy, Policy
Disciplines
Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social Work
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Lindsey, Katherine M., "Intersections Between Social Work and Public Administration: A Case Study of Urban Water Poverty" (2022). Social Work Theses. 16.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/socialwork_theses/16
Comments
Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington