Empowering destitute people towards transforming communities

6“Inside-out” missions as the development of new beliefs

According to Wikipedia, belief is the psychological state in which an individual is convinced of the truth of a proposition. Like the related concepts truth, knowledge, and wisdom, there is no precise definition of belief on which scholars agree but, rather, numerous theories and continued debate about the nature of belief.
Bell, Halligan and Ellis (2006:1) point out that beliefs are sometimes divided into core beliefs (those which we may be actively thinking about) and dispositional beliefs (those which we may ascribe to but have never previously thought about). For example, if asked “do you believe tigers wear pink pyjamas?” a person might answer that they do not, despite the fact they may never have thought about this situation before.
Staples (1993:45) terms this the “law of conviction”, which holds that everything we believe and accept becomes part of our reality: initially of our inner reality, and when we subsequently act upon this reality, it becomes part of the reality of our life. He adds that we will more easily accept anything that correlates with our current strongest beliefs, and we will without difficulty discard anything that disagrees with those beliefs.
For instance, if a destitute person believes that he is bad (because of what he did and his current situation), he may easily discard the idea that God loves him. At the same time he might easily accept anything that confirms his belief that he is bad, such as a family member telling him he is a loser.
The last-mentioned reaction is also termed a “limiting belief” which, according to Wikipedia, is used for a belief that inhibits exploration of a wider cognitive space than would otherwise be the case. These may be strongly held conscious beliefs, or unconscious, and are often tied in with self-image or perceptions about the world. Everyday examples of limiting beliefs include:

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  That one possesses specific capabilities, roles, or traits which cannot be escaped or changed.
  
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  That one cannot succeed, so there is no point committing oneself to trying.
  
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  That a particular opinion is right; therefore there is no point considering other viewpoints.
  
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  That a particular action or result is the only way to resolve a problem.
  

New beliefs begin to develop when we are exposed to different possibilities, when we experience a shock, or when we experience something new. This leads to a desire to know more, and when extra knowledge is gained, this new knowledge is used consciously to challenge our own previously held beliefs (Roux, 2006:45).

What is the role of helpers with respect to the beliefs of the destitute? Missions with the destitute must also empower people to develop new beliefs that will challenge and negate previous limiting beliefs. Helpers can do this in two ways, namely:

1. 
   By exposing destitute people to new possibilities and experiences (such as the possibility of housing, or the possibility of learning a skill, or studying).
   

Imagine a destitute person being exposed to the possibility of learning a valued skill that would ensure a sustainable job. Suddenly she may start to alter her previous belief that “poor people cannot change” into “I can change and have a new life”. Or imagine a destitute person starting to believe that God can make it happen; it is possible to grow out of destitution!

2. 
   By consciously facilitating a process where destitute people can come to challenge their own beliefs.
   

Kraybill (2003:32) uses a technique called “generating a gap” to facilitate this process. A typical example would exist where a destitute person believes that he cannot change, or that his situation cannot change. At this point the helper might ask, “What do you dream about?” As the destitute person begins to explain his (often broken) dreams, the helper could ask, “what plans can we start making to help you to grow from where you are now, to where you want to be?” From this point helpers can work with destitute people at developing viable plans and putting them into practice in order to realize those persons’ dreams. A gap is consequently created between “cannot change” and “making plans to change”. In this process people change, because they become convinced that another reality is possible. Their beliefs are challenged, and they then alter their own beliefs – from “cannot” to “let’s make plans…”

7“Inside-out” missions as “giving voice” to individual destitute people

This concept speaks of greater consumer involvement, a process where destitute people gain a say in, and even take over, efforts at their empowerment. It overlaps considerably with the “bottom-up participation” approach in community empowerment (chapter 7), but the focus here falls on giving individual destitute people a voice.

As Glasser (2002:1) notes, “consumer involvement” in programmes and efforts that serve destitute people has become more important in recent years. A growing body of literature supports the benefits of consumer involvement on the programmatic, policy, and administrative levels. Consumer empowerment ranges from participation in a community meeting or on an advisory board, to hiring consumer staff, to completely consumer-run programmes and organizations. While “consumer involvement” may be seen as a negative term in the context of this study, this term from the social sciences does indicate the kind of relationship that often exists when helpers engage the destitute, at least initially. However, missions with the destitute, from the underside up implies that the destitute are not only consumers, but rather co-journers that takes control of their own empowerment.

Glasser (2002:2) continues by asserting that, while there is resistance within any system to handing over power to a stigmatized group, once done, the system may discover that it displays higher quality and more responsive services. Research finds that consumers can perform as well as non-consumer staff and are especially skilled at engaging potential clients. Within consumer-run organizations, the focus of service delivery is placed on choice, dignity and respect. There are a number of things that governments and organizations can do to encourage consumer involvement in decision-making, staff hiring, and the creation and survival of consumer-run organizations.

Basic principles of “giving voice” would include:

1. 
   Helpers must carefully plan for consumer involvement. Through allocation of adequate resources and education and preparation of non-consumer staff, helpers will be laying the groundwork for true empowerment.
   
2. 
   The concept of choice and tailoring assistance to individual needs is central to the success of consumer-run programmes. It is indispensable to any programme or missionary effort that truly serves its constituents.
   
3. 
   Research establishes that formerly destitute consumers employed as staff, including those with serious mental illness and persons in recovery from substance abuse, can perform as well as non-consumer staff and may be especially skilled at engaging other destitute persons in services and treatment.
   
4. 
   Programmes that incorporate consumer involvement tend to be more “user-friendly” or “consumer-friendly” than those which do not.
   
5. 
   Consumer-run organizations may be more able and willing to “do what it takes” to serve their clients. In practice this might mean undertaking system advocacy, offering new types of services, and/or obtaining more funding.
   
6. 
   Everyone benefits from consumer involvement: helpers may increase the quality and effectiveness of their services; consumers become empowered through employment, advocacy and helping their peers; and clients learn the value of peer support.
   

Nothing makes more sense than allowing clients, or consumers of services, to have a greater say in their services, from the direct provision of these, to policy, administration and evaluation. Who, after all, knows better what they need and want but consumers themselves? Research has, indeed, demonstrated that destitute consumers are eager to define their goals and clarify their needs for support (Camardese & Youngman, 1996:51). But owing to the stigma associated with destituteness, which is greater if one happens to be mentally ill and destitute, the public and providers have exhibited a tendency to assume that consumers do not know what they need, or that what they want is not “clinically” appropriate.

Destitute people do not boast a long history of organized advocacy efforts on their own behalf. The larger self-help or consumer empowerment movement, a movement where individuals organized into groups to help one another, has come a long way since its roots years ago. But over the past decade, this movement has begun to really make its presence felt among programmes for destitute persons.