All of the programs are using a community engagement strategy, defined as “bringing together the
talents, resources and skills of people in the community in order to increase their collective power and
work for social change”—in this case, decreasing family violence. The pioneering programs surveyed
by the FVPF are learning from the ground up, using community-based engagement strategies to reach
out to families that need help and to involve local leaders, residents, service providers, and government
institutions in stopping violence. They all share a commitment to listen to the community and to learn
from the families they serve. They are all working to connect families to appropriate services. And they
are all grappling with the complexities of focusing on family violence in communities struggling with
various degrees of poverty, economic hardship, educational disadvantages, and substance abuse.
The task is a challenging one.