The historical approach to community development is centered on addressing changes and challenges through a deficit mindset. This method focuses on identifying what people lack and then addressing identified needs by filling service gaps. While this process can help tackle urgent needs in the short term, it is not an effective tool for creating sustainable change, because “you can’t build on broken.” Research has shown that community building efforts that take a strength-based approach are far more successful in creating lasting change, as they recognize and build on existing assets within their community rather than focusing on what is missing. Appreciative Inquiry can be a powerful tool in this process. Appreciative Inquiry is an engagement model that uncovers the strengths and assets within a community and uses them to address challenges or advance progress. Appreciative Inquiry allows the community to express its greatest needs and invites community members to help design solutions.

Over the past fifteen years, The Women’s Home has developed a campus in the Spring Branch East neighborhood of northwest Houston that includes two supportive housing communities and a 30,000 sq. ft. community service center. Our team has utilized Appreciative Inquiry techniques to engage our tenants in the program design process and develop programming that helps fulfill their aspirations. In 2021, a unique opportunity arose for The Women's Home to purchase an acre of land that borders the north side of our community service center in Spring Branch East and is near our supportive housing communities. Before starting any new developments, our leadership wanted to solicit feedback from our supportive housing tenants and Spring Branch residents to gain their perspective on the neighborhood's greatest strengths. Our team conducted a four-month Appreciative Inquiry "listening tour" in the Spring of 2022 during which we interviewed over 500 individuals in the Spring Branch East community. Members of our supportive housing communities served as part of our inquiry team and helped us engage with their neighbors and the community at large. Results from the listening tour revealed the aspirations of residents and provided us with key information on how we could help fulfill these dreams while building on the strengths of existing programs. Through this presentation, Anna Coffey, CEO of The Women’s Home, will help participants understand the value of strength-based community building and inspire them to utilize AI techniques to advance positive change in their own work. Using The Women’s Home’s experience as a case study, this presentation will highlight strategies for building a strengths-based culture within your organization, developing trust with community members, and harnessing community assets to build capacity.