What is the greater cause?

I have a really great job.
Most of my work includes talking with members of the community about how we can prevent violence from occurring before it even happens. I really like my job, its collaborative, creative and hopeful while crisis is happening all around me. I tend to be the optimistic one at my agency, mainly due to the fact that I’m on the prevention team while everyone else deals with crisis and intervention. But this past week while preparing for the implementation of a program I became more aware of a pressing issue.

Our coalition, who so diligently works to plan and create goals for implementing prevention efforts in our county, has decided that Taylor, TX would be a great place to start our program. The city has a lot of need and has a lot of areas in which we could improve the current situation. They currently have the highest number of family violence reports to the police in relation to their population. 60% of Taylor ISD students are economically disadvantaged, as well as 3.9% school dropout rate. Williamson county social services tend to focus their attention on the more populated cities and forget about our cities on the outer rim of our county. Many times Taylor is overlooked. So I am very happy we are going to be there.

But I’ve become aware that the people of Taylor are not putting issues of family violence in the forefront of their minds, and really maybe they shouldn’t or can’t. Basic needs are not being met for many families in Taylor. Food isn’t on the table, water and electricity are being turned off, transportation is limited and money is tight across the board. Honestly its like driving into another world when I enter Taylor, things are just done a bit differently there. I live in my nice Georgetown where there are white, wealthy, older men everywhere, and that’s basically who backs the entire city.

I drive into Taylor and the first thing I see are factories and manufactures with tired workers taking a much needed smoking break from the long day shift ahead of them. On the main square there are a lot of stores that are abandoned or very close to getting there. A lot of houses have the antique feel to them and have not had the upkeep that they might need. The age of this side of Taylor still has some charm and personality that keeps it living. I am reminded of the Pixar movie “Cars” when I come through town, taking a look at all the antique stores and mom and pop country cooking stops. You wonder how they stay afloat but you still have a smile on your face when you pass by, reflecting on its charm.

If you cross the other side of the tracks, literally the other side of the rail road tracks there is another side to Taylor. When I was there just a couple of weeks ago surveying the area, it was a little ironic that when I crossed the railroad tracks it started to pour down with rain. I drove through houses that made you wonder how any residents could possibly live there. The juxtaposition of this part of the community to other charming side made my heart ache. When I was talking to a community member about prevention of violence not being a priority in the community, this must have been the image that was in her mind.

My primary task is to prevent violence before it happens, but what happens when a community’s main concern is putting food on the table? I know that the state of the economy is so closely tied with violence, but I feel that my cause is futile. How do you present a very important cause to a community who truly needs it when their minds, hearts and lives are in a very valid place that might keep them from joining you?