Build Trust
Trusting relationships with community members, leaders and partners are foundational to success.
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Building Trust, Improving Health
Investing in trusting relationships opens the door to meaningful conversations about healthcare access and can ultimately lead to improvements in public health initiatives.Repairing, building, and sustaining trust are ongoing processes, not one-time events. Trust takes time, patience, and consistency. Committing to the process and investing adequate resources can open the door to future conversations and partnerships to improve a community’s public health outcomes.is important.
In communities impacted by health inequities, a reluctance to engage with public health is often rooted in mistrust of the government and public health systems due to historical harms or ongoing exploitation. Acknowledging, validating and addressing these realities is a first step toward building trust and overcoming barriers to public health intervention.
Dive into a slice of Guiding Principle 1 below from our Community Guide to Health Equity to discover actionable strategies and opportunities for individuals and organizations to better implement community-driven public health initiatives. Learn more and see additional stories and examples in the full Guiding Principle 1.
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Consistent Community Presence
Strategy 1: Be a consistent presence in the community and remain persistent in outreach efforts
Because trust is built over time, it’s important to maintain a continuous presence in the communities you serve. An ongoing presence gives community members time to learn about the organization; digest any informational materials provided; and see that the organization is interested in building a lasting relationship, not just achieving short-term public health objectives.
“Our canvassers go door to door, and it’s consistent. At first people might not want to talk to us, but we go back. We are part of the communities we serve. People recognize us. There’s that level of trust and consistency.” — Dolores Huerta Foundation (DHF)
| Implementation idea Host listening sessions and one-on-one conversations with key community representatives focused on relationship-building and understanding community priorities. It may take multiple conversations over several months before work can begin. Be mindful of power dynamics and identities as you engage and request attendance to demonstrate respect and build trust. | Keep In Mind Trust takes time. There is often misalignment between funding timelines and the amount of time it takes to build trust. Consider whether the grant period offers enough time to build new relationships or to focus on communities with whom you’ve worked with in the past. Reach out to project officers at funding organizations to ask for the time you need and consider incremental approaches to relationship-building in your work plans. |
| Example In an effort to engage community members consistently, DHF provided canvassing training, and then had canvassers conduct door-to-door outreach to the same households in the same communities where they left the door hangers. | Reflection Questions Is the funding timeline appropriate to establish new relationships? If not, how can you structure an incremental approach to building relationships with trusted community leaders and anchor institutions that will help to build trust with the community? |
Consistent Community Presence
Strategy 1: Be a consistent presence in the community and remain persistent in outreach efforts
Because trust is built over time, it’s important to maintain a continuous presence in the communities you serve. An ongoing presence gives community members time to learn about the organization; digest any informational materials provided; and see that the organization is interested in building a lasting relationship, not just achieving short-term public health objectives.
“Our canvassers go door to door, and it’s consistent. At first people might not want to talk to us, but we go back. We are part of the communities we serve. People recognize us. There’s that level of trust and consistency.” — Dolores Huerta Foundation (DHF)
| Implementation idea Host listening sessions and one-on-one conversations with key community representatives focused on relationship-building and understanding community priorities. It may take multiple conversations over several months before work can begin. Be mindful of power dynamics and identities as you engage and request attendance to demonstrate respect and build trust. | Keep In Mind Trust takes time. There is often misalignment between funding timelines and the amount of time it takes to build trust. Consider whether the grant period offers enough time to build new relationships or to focus on communities with whom you’ve worked with in the past. Reach out to project officers at funding organizations to ask for the time you need and consider incremental approaches to relationship-building in your work plans. |
| Example In an effort to engage community members consistently, DHF provided canvassing training, and then had canvassers conduct door-to-door outreach to the same households in the same communities where they left the door hangers. | Reflection Questions Is the funding timeline appropriate to establish new relationships? If not, how can you structure an incremental approach to building relationships with trusted community leaders and anchor institutions that will help to build trust with the community? |