Abstract
Systemic community trauma is a newer concept within the category of community trauma. It refers to trauma that stems from the structural violence in and around a community, which disrupts their ability to be successful. This dissertation examines methods for interrupting systemic community trauma through the framework of Adverse Community Experiences and Resilience, which identifies community trauma manifesting across a community's physical, economic, and social elements. First, the concept of community trauma within this system lens is explored, and how community cohesion and engagement can empower communities to interrupt trauma by applying asset-based community development tools. This examination is deepened through a historical, deductive content analysis of three settlement houses and how these programs mitigated the extreme poverty, a form of community trauma, within their communities. The historical analysis identifies the activities of these settlement houses and how they mitigated community trauma through the physical, economic, and social elements of their communities. This analysis identifies the importance of understanding the impact of social connection and engagement in mitigating and interrupting community trauma. The insights from this study support community empowerment and the development of connected communities to mitigate systemic community trauma. The learnings from this dissertation provide recommendations for the social work profession to realign with community engagement, enabling adaptation and flexibility to meet the evolving needs and experiences of communities.