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Housing dispersal strategies (scattered sites) have its roots in efforts to construct public housing in more ethnically diverse and affluent communities as a result of the overrepresentation of Blacks/African Americans living in public housing developments with concentrated poverty and racial segregation. Today, the use of scattered site housing is more indicative of nonprofit housing providers seeking to end homelessness. Comparable with the demographics of public housing residents, Blacks/African Americans are severely overrepresented in homeless populations across America. This study examined the impact of scattered site supportive housing, located in an affluent and predominately White/European American community to determine any reductions in social isolation and any levels of improved socio-economic status of men who were formerly homeless and primarily Black/African American. This study used five variables identified from earlier studies thought to influence socio-economic well-being: resident satisfaction, a sense of community, impact on income, neighbor opposition or not-in-my-own backyard (NIMBY) attitudes, and impact of scattered site housing on property values. The results showed that the respondents were, on average, more satisfied with the buildings where they lived than their landlord relations or external neighbors. Furthermore, the study found very little neighbor opposition based on race or class and no negative impact on property values from nearby scattered site developments. Based on these findings, recommendations to continue implementing housing dispersal strategies are offered. In addition, directions for future research are provided.

Community Psychology has grown up amidst times in US history and throughout the world where social change has been the interwoven thread throughout urban and suburban spaces. Social change continues to be the thread we must use to construct new realities. Not uncommon, as community psychologists have discovered over the past few years, social change work can often be more effective starting at the community level and then branching outward to macrosystems. Macrosystems include influences of governmental policies, corporations, and belief systems. To this end, having a firm understanding of the dynamics that challenge communities is critical. This understanding must extend to grappling with some of the more unjust practices such as oppression and power that have influenced and shaped many of our communities today, particularly where members are people of color. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the interrelated concepts of oppression and power and explore their relationship to the health and well-being of communities. We conceptualize oppression and power in upcoming sections. First, we give an overview of what oppression is. Second, we discuss the concept of power. Third, we discuss the relationship between oppression and power, because they typically never act alone. Fourth, we look at methodologies to deconstruct oppression and power. Finally, we offer strategies that can, and are, used in Community Psychology practice. This chapter expands on the discussion of oppression and power in Chapter 1 (Jason, Glantsman, O'Brien, & Ramian, 2019) and other current Community Psychology textbooks, primarily through the lens of those who have been and continue to be oppressed. Broadly defined through theoretical and abstract concepts, the definition and critical analysis of oppression have left out the complexity, voices, and lived experiences of individuals who have been severely impacted by injustice and oppression. Our ways of knowing and being are credible and of critical importance to students learning how knowledge and power are created and what evidence is most credible in discussing them. We also include information that portrays the strength and resiliency of community members as a balance to the scholarship. The authors' perspectives and inclusion of the lived experiences of others will add richness and depth to your studies.