Considering that ATD Fourth World is not a traditional service provider, a collaborative approach is part of our ethos. The ATD Fourth World community includes full-time core workers, families living in persistent poverty, allies, and volunteers. All are encouraged to get involved in every aspect of what we do, from project planning to evaluation, from fundraising to campaigning, from administration to governance. The way we operate is unique, placing the focus on the experiences and voices of people living in poverty, and giving those voices their rightful credibility. Explaining our approach, Moraene Roberts (1953-2020), who grew up in poverty and was part of our National Coordination from 2014 until her death, said:

“When you’ve been dismissed and put down for years, it’s really something when you occasionally throw something out there and one of the core workers here says, ‘Wait, let me grab a note pad; say it again, because that’s important’. Who the hell says that? Here, you’re not becoming dependent, asking for help. ATD Fourth World is prepared to listen and learn from people who’ve been kept out of social movements, and it brings that knowledge out to teach others. Here, I don’t just receive. I give back something of value. The first step, before becoming an activist, is recognising yourself as part of a community in poverty, part of the ATD Fourth World community.

“When I first came here, I didn’t think of myself as being ‘in poverty’. But here, I met lots of other people who were going through the same situations I was. We had things in common. That made me think that certain aspects of my situation were my own responsibility because of choices I’d made, while other aspects came from what had been imposed on me. I began to recognise the fact that poverty is created. Before, I thought that poverty was normal because so much was completely out of my control. These realisations made me feel that we have to really fight and to decide what we want to build in place of poverty. For ourselves, we’re often so battered down by poverty that we accept it. But when you see others suffering, you feel indignant about what’s been done to them. You begin looking for people to support.

“It really was a fight; it felt like a struggle for years and years. More than a fight, it was a rage: how dare they impose this on us, and then blame us for it? Eventually you can get over the rage — but you can’t do that alone. Realising that you’re with others gives you courage. ATD Fourth World’s strengths are the solidarity among all of us and the legacy we inherited. It’s our duty to continue and to develop this legacy, and also to develop our personal confidence and autonomy. We also see opportunities in the wider network with other organisations where activists are now involved outside of ATD Fourth World. We’re a ‘family of choice’ because we work and think together. It’s not top-down.”