ABSTRACT
The changes that have accompanied the burgeoning of the “new economy” have challenged the old employer-employee contract and have deprived working families of job security. In these uncertain times, the ability of communities to support family needs is more urgent than ever. The ability of workers to form a sense of community, in many parts of their lives, is critical. The workers interviewed for this book understand this at an intuitive level. When I asked them “Is it important to you to be part of a community?” almost to a person they answered “Yes!” Listening to their stories, I began to understand community as the connective tissue that makes their work and family lives possible. It is the invisible framework that connects families to the people and institutions that provide care, services, and support. And like human tissue, it is living and changing. In fact, it is the ability of a community—however one defines the term—to adapt to change that makes it durable.
