Respecting boundaries and human dignity in accessrestricted lowincome communities

We address the challenges of doing research with and indeed alongside low-income segments of the population who live in areas with restrictions to access because of logistical and violence-related challenges. We discuss how we as researchers needed to navigate those restrictions, and the key role of building trust with the poor communities that had built their houses (actually, improvised sheds) on pieces of previously unused urban land that was legally owned by a third party. Our research and social work involved seeking understanding of the processes that took place between occupants, the legal owner and the social enterprise that was seeking to regularise the possession and ownership of the land, with a just price and payment conditions being negotiated between the parties. We reflect on and recommend a community-based participatory research approach where the aim of the researchers is to see the phenomenon from the perspective of participants, respect their dignity and empower them. We offer practical guidance for how to gain access to such communities in ways that are safe for all participants, and present suggestions by which the participants can concretely benefit from the research project.