We recognize that too often people have tried to help distressed communities without a real willingness to listen to those communities. At Metanoia, we believe neighborhood residents are the true experts on their own problems.   All our initiatives are the result of community interaction and feedback. Our community identifies issues and problems and we seek out the "best practice" solutions that community residents can use in solving their own problems. 

A majority of Metanoia’s board of directors members live in the communities that we serve as do a number of Metanoia’s staff, including our CEO Bill Stanfield. This allows us to recognize what will and will not work in our community and invest resources in ways that create a genuine social return. 

Metanoia also holds fast to the Iron Rule of community organizing, which is to never do for someone what they can do for themselves. While we recognize that different individuals have different capacities to do for themselves, we believe that everyone can make a contribution. Therefore we do not give goods and services away at Metanoia. Everyone who receives something also gives something back in return.