Community Needs Assessment

Background
To understand what the growing needs are within a community, it is necessary to measure individuals’ perceptions about what issues they feel are the communities’ most critical needs. The community assessment model was developed to include input from local residents, service providers and community leaders to capture a broad cross-section of community opinion. In addition, assessment oversight was conducted by a team representing various community sectors including: education, public safety, health care, aging, early childhood, low-income residents, neighborhoods, county government and the media.

The assessment model consisted of four components:

1. Literature and Data Review – An extensive analysis of community data and relevant literature was conducted to identify key issue areas and trends.  
2. Service Provider Focus Groups – Service providers were invited to participate in focus groups aligned with the issue areas they represented. Participants identified areas of concern and suggested priorities within their issue area. Finally, they recommended roles that UWECI might play in partnering with the community to address the priorities.
3. General Household Survey – Community residents were surveyed by telephone to determine their top of mind awareness about social issues they felt the community should address. The survey also determined their perceptions regarding the importance of the issues. Residents were asked to report their level of awareness regarding assistance with the key issues. For the issues they considered to be important, they identified the impact of several potential barriers to service delivery. Respondents were also asked to identify areas in which service provision was working well and to rate the level of civic engagement and participation among their neighbors and themselves.
4. Business/Health & Human Service Leader Focus Groups –This focus group represented a broad spectrum of individuals including health and human service leaders and business leaders comprised of United Way donors and volunteers. The focus group ranked the fourteen issue areas and developed consensus around priorities based upon their leadership perspectives. Participants also identified potential barriers to access and discussed criteria for identifying priorities for the community.

United Way contracted with research firm Frank N. Magid Associates, Inc. to conduct the focus groups and survey work. Results from the research were compiled and analyzed by UWECI staff and volunteer teams. The oversight team selected the participants for each of the focus groups to ensure a there was broad sampling that was inclusive of many community sectors. Household survey responses were weighted to ensure they proportionally represented the county populations of the UWECI service area.

Related Items

Community Needs Assessment - 2006 (352 k)