Strategies and Solutions for Social Workers Under a
Right-Wing Administration

Social entrepreneurship is crucial in social work, especially during policy shifts, as it offers a proactive, innovative approach to meet the needs of marginalized communities. In a conservative policy environment, social safety nets and public funding for social services often face cuts, limiting resources for vulnerable populations. Marginalized communities—often already impacted by systemic barriers—may see access to essential services further restricted, intensifying social and economic inequalities.

Social entrepreneurship empowers social workers to respond to these gaps creatively, developing sustainable, mission-driven enterprises that address community-specific needs without relying solely on government support. Through social enterprises, social workers can build scalable models to deliver critical services, advocate for systemic change, and promote social equity. This approach allows them to serve as agents of change, turning challenges posed by policy restrictions into opportunities for community resilience and empowerment.

In 2013 after obtaining my second bachelor’s degree, in Psychology, I began my profession in the child welfare field as a licensing counselor for a faith-based child placement agency known as His House Children’s Home in Miami Florida. After 2 years with my agency, I knew there was a larger impact I was meant to make. There were insufficiencies that I saw in the field that weren’t being addressed as strategically as I felt they should have been. I also know that I would have to take a non-traditional track to do so. At this point, I moved back to Mississippi and got immediately active in developing myself into a social entrepreneur before I even realized it.

Some of What You’ll Learn:

Key Topics

Understanding Social Entrepreneurship — Defining the concept within the context of social work.
Navigating Political Change — Practical ways to respond to reduced governmental support.
Creating Impact — Case studies and examples of successful social work initiatives using entrepreneurial approaches.

Why This Workshop Matters Now

Challenges

Under a conservative administration, social welfare funding often faces significant cuts, with priorities shifting away from government-supported programs. This reduction in funding can severely limit resources for social services, impacting programs in healthcare, housing, food assistance, and education. Additionally, regulatory hurdles may increase, emphasizing eligibility restrictions, work requirements, and other conditions that make it harder for individuals to access benefits.

These policy changes disproportionately affect marginalized communities, who rely more heavily on social safety nets due to systemic inequities. Reduced funding and stricter regulations can widen gaps in access to essential resources, intensifying poverty, health disparities, and social inequality.

Opportunity for Social Workers

Social entrepreneurship equips social workers to innovate and sustain their programs even amidst reduced funding and restrictive policies by allowing them to operate independently of traditional government support. Through social enterprises, social workers can develop sustainable funding models that generate revenue while fulfilling social missions, reducing reliance on inconsistent public funding.

This approach fosters creativity and flexibility, enabling social workers to adapt their services directly to community needs and create customized, culturally relevant programs. By leveraging entrepreneurial principles—like impact measurement, partnerships, and diversified funding—social workers can implement scalable solutions that address systemic issues, advocate for change, and provide continuous support for marginalized communities despite regulatory and financial challenges. Social entrepreneurship thus empowers social workers to drive long-term impact, maintain program stability, and fill critical service gaps that conservative policies often widen.