Abstract
Given the historical foundation of residency within social work it is important for social workers to reconsider how residency may be a benefit to community development practice. This qualitative study explores community developers who intentionally moved into the communities in which they work. The study seeks to find these community developer’s motivations for moving into their community as well as the perceived the benefits for their clientele. Content analysis using latent and manifest coding was used. The respondents were 10 self-identified community developers and intentional residents. Three themes emerged: 1) Resident community developers felt an increased awareness of the strengths and challenges within their respective communities; 2) Resident community developers were motivated by a spiritual belief or a moral imperative; 3) Resident community developers struggled to balance their concerns of safety with their moral obligation to social justice. Implications for social work practice and policy are discussed.