Table 1 Socioecological context related to community needs, agency vision for community health, and relational focus

Socioecological Context

Traumatic Experiences

Obviously, child abuse. We’ve had a lot of high-profile child deaths that dealt with physical abuse.

When you’re looking at African American, Cambodian & Latino, a lot of it is historical: racism, genocide & slavery…I think there’s the community traumas, the racism, the structural racism, the historical trauma that’s both from a violence or coming out of genocide or coming out of slavery and those traumas.

[M]any of our staff are from the community we serve and have intergenerational [trauma]. [G]ardening is very big for our Cambodian [population], very healing for them, because many [grew up on] farms. [M]ost of the highly educated people in Cambodia were killed. So many of the Cambodians that [are] here were never educated, can’t read or write and gardening is their healing. I was telling one of my [Cambodian] staff that I visited [a community member] and got to see her garden and talk to her. [I]t was really special. [Our staff member] got tears in her eyes because that’s what her parents did. She [said] “I used to be really embarrassed by it. [I]t was really sweet [but] I was really embarrassed by it. [N]ow I realize that’s what connected them to where they came from. [T]hat’s what made them heal in many ways. Now, I really respect what they went through.”

Barriers to Health & Well-being

[P]overty out here is traumatic. We have parents with their kids who are panhandling in parking lots. [That’s] traumatic for the kids [and] traumatic for other community members.

[T]here are more liquor stores & fewer parks in our community. Why is that? [I]t’s peeling back the layers & having conversations about racism. [N]ow with the tax against undocumented communities, it’s also talking about that. You can’t talk about trauma without [that].

It’s really important…to hear what these communities are saying: “I’d like to get a job”, “I’d like to feel safer.” “I’d like the park to be nicer for my kids.” “We don’t have a bank in our neighborhood.” God, that one blew me away. Or a nice supermarket. Community center hubs in parks with…people that…give behavioral health information, along with how to get a reduced fare driver’s license or resource[s].

Vision for Community Health

All community members are trauma-informed (e.g., public, government officials, businesses)

[Our vision] is more with our partnership [than] the community itself, but we haven’t really had that with our elected officials. Ultimately, that is the goal: to have those conversations, engage elected officials and [them] really assessing and reflecting on how they respond. What could they be doing to prevent, instead of create, more adversity? [L]ooking at how they’ve responded to COVID, even their own policies, how community members are left out of those conversations and the decision-making process, and how that’s harmful. Ultimately, that’s the aim, to start having conversations about how that’s definitely not trauma-informed. What could be changed? What could be done to form a partnership between community members and elected officials?

Community member autonomy

One piece that we lean forward into more now [as our vision] is enhancing leadership development & skills. [O]ffering opportunities for further applying those leadership skills [and] providing community members with opportunities to be actively involved in their neighborhood councils. So, how can they participate outside of INN2? [T]hat’s my vision, what I’m hoping is the next level. As we enter into the new year with the neighborhood leadership, neighborhood councils, what those represent, how much power they have in communities and the decision making that they have, and how representatives from the community can [work] from those positions that are more local, civic engagement. How are we providing other opportunities for community members to become involved in further applying their leadership [skills] and being part of the decision making that affects their own communities locally

Community ownership of the work

I [am] looking forward to…entering this new phase with the leadership groups. [T]hey’ve been expressing, and we’ve observed, there’s a need now to move more into advocacy. How they influence and impact policy. [S]ome of them have, on their own, been involved. I think we’re finally at this point where we have learned what’s been working, what hasn’t, and where we’ve had the greatest impact.

Relational Focus

Relationship-building & Engagement: Safe spaces and Help-seeking support

[C]reating spaces where it’s okay to ask for help, or hearing other people say, “Oh, I went there and they helped me with this.” Our strategies create spaces for not only learning from each other, but learning within ourselves, that it’s okay to ask for help. [T]he strategies have really created spaces and opportunities where it’s safe to ask for help, and that it’s not frowned upon. The discussion of help and support is always ongoing, so it’s become normalized. In communities where asking for help is stigmatized or seen as “you don’t have it together” or “you shouldn’t be doing that, because that’s only for people who are crazy”, creating spaces where it’s okay to ask for help is hugely impactful. [T]he goal is that hopefully families internalize that ability and pass it on to their kids.

Relationship-building & Engagement: Safe spaces

Trust-building: Diversity and collaboration

We’re a very diverse group. I think every meeting is a learning experience. I think every meeting that we have, every collaboration is definitely a step towards trust-building. [B]eing diverse is one of the best things for our work in South LA because we all bring different input, different resources to the table, but making sure also that with safety, we’re providing those brave spaces in our meetings and making sure that…there’s no wrong or right answers. Going into these spaces with “we want to hear what the community has to say. We want to hear what our partners have to say,” and “How can we better collaborate? How can we better support each other?” [H]aving that brave space can definitely be one of the elements that builds our trust with our partners.

Trust-building: Transparency

[W]e don’t want to be in the position where we have to take back something we said. The same thing [is happening] now, in terms of the Community Ambassador Network program. We hear [from DMH] that the Community Ambassador Network program might roll over, but we are framing it to the Community Ambassador Network individuals that are on board as “this is going to end on the 30th and we don’t know yet what’s going to happen. If something is different, we’ll let you know, but what we’ve been told so far is [this…]”. That’s the most trauma-informed way of letting people know. We’re not giving you hope that you have a job in January [or] hope for anything that I can’t fully fulfill, because it’s in DMH’s hands…. Building trust by being honest.

Trust-building: Transparency, accountability, inclusive culture, shared vision and collective decision-making

[W]e’re being more upfront about where we’re at and what we’re doing. Everyone now has to be accountable. You’re going to get feedback from our peers because we’re all working collectively to get this work done. [Staff are] like “Oh, we can [give leadership] feedback?” and I say “Yes, and we have to implement it. Here’s this committee who makes recommendations on how we are or are not achieving our goals and you can be a part of that committee.” [I]t’s all these different pieces we’re doing to really help build further trust and bring young people into the work that we’re doing, to have staff with lived experience be part of the decision making. Providing innovative ways to get folks aligned and a part of sharing the work and vision that we’re trying to have here collectively.