ABSTRACT
Attempts within urban communities to effect social change through community work interventions have been focused almost exclusively upon inner city neighbourhoods with certain types of characteristics. Urban communities have many such neighbourhoods and community workers will be faced with the task of choosing a neighbourhood in which to locate the resources of a community work project. Within north-west Southwark, the Project adopted as its target area the borough district which was the unit used by the Planning Department for its proposed structure plans. The existing housing stock and housing opportunities comprise one of the most important resources of a neighbourhood. Despite the magnitude of the changes, there was little consultation with staff; agencies were preoccupied with internal problems such as low morale, staff losses and an increasing number of field staff vacancies. These problems, which are features of service provision in many inner city areas, were exacerbated by the reorganisation of the services.
