COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...

expanding arena of public social provision: privately delivered, direct services to the
poor.” Both community groups and non-profit organizations play an integral role in
communities, providing necessary services for people and building neighborhood ties.
“Community based organizations provide material resources, build local social ties, and
offer other kinds of assistance to residents of poor urban neighborhoods” (Marwell
2004:286). These organizations become important stakeholders in the community and
they become the beneficiaries of charity, gain status for their work, and receive awards
for their commitment to social service. The poor, in effect, come to rely on their services
and these services become necessary to support their livelihood and uphold a standard of
living.
Community organizations are perceived by many people as having a positive
presence in the community and are therefore welcomed in many lower-income
communities. While non-profits often provide social and human services for the lower-
income residents, “community organizations tend to engage in crime prevention, such as
block clubs, community associations, umbrella organizations of community groups, and
community development corporations” (Bennett 1995:73). The programs implemented
in communities by community organizations vary from neighborhood watch programs to
property identification efforts to tenant patrol.
While many non-profit organizations conduct work to serve the needy, many of
the programs and activities implemented by non-profits are often constructed to benefit
not only the disenfranchised, but the organization and their agendas. Savas (2002:90)
claims, “government funding of non-profits, through contracts, may have some
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