Course Description
This course emphasizes an understanding of the specialized work performed by social service workers in the inner city. Students will examine the unique needs of clients in neighborhoods such as the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, as well as the urban core of other cities such as Surrey and New Westminster. The impact of issues such as poverty, addiction, discrimination, sex trade, health, homelessness and housing will be explored, as well as services needed to address these issues. Students will have the opportunity to explore both myths and realities of life in the inner city.
Course Content
The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:
- While the issues of poverty, addictions and homelessness are by no means unique to inner city neighborhoods, large numbers of clients dealing with these issues tend to reside in certain areas
- Social Service Workers are employed by many of the agencies that serve clients in the inner city and therefore need to become familiar with the unique issues, as well as the common concerns shared with other client groups
- Poverty, addiction, life-threatening diseases such as HIV-AIDS are all symptoms of larger problems in individual, family and societal emotional systems. They are not the fault of the individual, but rather a reflection of a complex combination of attitudes, beliefs, values and emotional processes
- Clients residing in inner city neighborhoods tend to have complex problems that are served by multiple agencies. Hence, Social Service Workers need to be intimately familiar with the network of services available, including those provided by public, private and religious organizations
- Despite the complex nature of client problems, there exists a strong community network in the inner cities which are a rich source of community, cultural and individual support and resources
- Marginalized people tend to find more social services, support and acceptance in inner city neighborhoods and therefore tent to gravitate there, and as a result, social problems tend to be more pronounced and visible in those areas.
Learning Activities
- Lecture Class
- Participation
Means of Assessment
This course will conform to Douglas College policy regarding the number and weighting of evaluations.
- Examination
- Collaborative learning
- Research paper
- Participation
- Attendance
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand Clients of Inner City Social Service Agencies
- Identify clients who are served by agencies of inner cities
- Demonstrate knowledge of client’s background
- Describe client issues
- Knowledge of Service Providers
- Identify services provided by agencies of inner cities
- Describe issues faced by agencies: i.e., funding, public perception, government policies
- Identify agency network of services
- Describe role of social service worker
- Apply Concepts of Culture & Socioeconomic Status as They Relate to the Inner City
- Identify cultural issues of inner city neighborhoods
- Racism and oppression of aboriginals, women
- Understand issues of poverty, mental health, disability
- Knowledge of the legacy of residential schools
- Describe strategies for anti-oppressive practice
- Housing & Homelessness
- Identify factors that can lead to a person becoming homeless
- Identify resources for homeless people
- Demonstrate understanding of issues affecting social housing such as funding
- Identify aspect of social housing development
- Health Issues in the Inner City
- Identify impact of the major health issues affecting clients, including addictions, HIV-AIDS, Hepatitis C
- Identify resources for clients who are experiencing poor health and living in the inner city
- Poverty in the Inner City
- Identify how clients of the infer city are affected by poverty
- Identify resources available to clients in need of services such as financial aid, housing and shelter, food services, etc.