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   Part B. Community Assessment, Agenda Setting, and Choice ... >
      Chapter 3. Assessing Community Needs and Resources >
         Section 2. Understanding and Describing the Community >
             Main Section - Introduction, what, why, when, who, and how. >

Understanding and Describing the Community

  

Main Section

 Contributed by Chris Hampton & Catie Heaven Edited by Jerry Schultz & Marya Axner

What is a community?

Why do you need to get to know your community?

What is a community description?

Why should you write a community description?

How can you use a community description?

When should you write a community description?

What are the basic principles for learning about a community?

How do you go about gaining an understanding of your community?

How do you write your community description?



For those of us who work in community health and development, it's important to have a good understanding of the particular communities we work with, and also what it takes to make a community in the first place. Taking the time to get to know your community is crucial.

Why is it crucial? Because anything you do in a community will require that you are familiar with the people, the issues, and the history of the community. For example, you can't set up a drug prevention program if you don't know something about the history of the community and about its different cultural groups. And you can't build a coalition to help homeless people unless you already have relationships established with the organizations that already do work with homeless people.

Writing up a detailed description of it is one good way to give yourself a comprehensive overview of the community presently and what kind of potential there is for change in the future.


What is a community?


While we traditionally think of a community as meaning the people in a given geographical location, it can really mean any group sharing something in common. Most often what we share with others is:

  • locale: for example, my city, Yorkdale
  • experience: for example, I am African American
  • interest: for example, my background in poverty issues

Each of these might form a community.

Example: Communities within a community

In the fictional city of Yorkdale, here are a few of the communities present:

  • the faith community
  • the arts community
  • the African American community
  • the education community
  • the business community
  • the homeless community
  • the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered community
  • the medical community
  • the Native American community
  • the elderly community

...and of course, Yorkdale itself can be referred to as a community.


There is not just one community present, but many overlapping communities, not necessarily defined by geography. For example, say you are a retired teacher -- you might consider yourself to be a part of the elderly community, the education community, and of your neighborhood community. A Caucasian woman who is married to a Puerto Rican man may become very involved in the area Latino/Latina community, even though she's not Latina herself. There are also many different levels of community -- from neighborhoods up to entire cities or even regions. Whichever community defines your work, you will want to get to know it well.


Why do you need to get to know your community?


Beyond simply being able to name the particular community you're working with, it is very valuable to learn as much as possible about it. Types of communities can vary widely in terms of size, political power and savvy, education level, and other factors that are crucial to know about if you're going to be working with them. For example, the neighborhoods in one town may be well informed and politically powerful, but polarized on many issues; in another town people may be under informed and disorganized, but richly diverse and vibrant.

Getting to know a community entails getting to know the people there, the activities they engage in, and where these activities take place. Knowing these basic bits of information can tell you a lot about who connects with each other, the types of relationships people have, and the types of material resources people have or need. By asking questions of people about these situations, you can begin to understand the feelings, attitudes, and values people have towards each other, and why. Understanding feelings, attitudes, and values is key to any community building effort your initiative undertakes.

This information is also useful in determining needs and resources in communities. It can help you identify who might be allies in your advocacy activities, lay the groundwork for recruiting volunteers, provide information for fund-raising, or understand who might oppose your efforts and why. Knowing the community as thoroughly as possible is fundamental to everything that you do.


What is a community description?


A community description is simply a written account and analysis that describes a community. It usually includes information about the geography, demographics, and history of a community. It also usually includes an overview of important community issues, interviews with key people, and other information that can help guide you and others when starting work in a community. A community description can be four pages or it can be 25 pages, depending on your needs.

Taking the time to write a good description of your community is a very effective way of getting to know what sort of challenges and assets you'll have to work with. Before you begin, however, sit down and make a list of the types of information you want to gather in writing your description. Try to think of any information that will be of use to you in working with your community. Some of the things you may wish to find out include the following:

  • geographic boundaries of the community
  • length of time the community has been in existence
  • general history of the community
  • key people and leaders in the community
  • demographics: racial/ethnic makeup, male/female ratio, age, economic standing, education levels
  • expenses, income, and in-kind support for the community's activities
  • issues of most concern to the community
  • morale and involvement levels
  • key allies and rivals


Why should you write a community description?


You may at this point be thinking, "Can't I work effectively within this community without going to all the trouble of gathering all this information?" Possibly/probably, even, if it's a community you're already familiar with. If you're new to the community, or an outsider, however, it's a different story. Not having the proper background information on your community may not seem like a big deal until you really waste your time by introducing an initiative your population isn't interested in or trying to form coalitions that are already in place.

Some advantages to taking the time to write a community description include:

  • To capture unspoken, influential rules and norms. For example, if people are particularly divided and angry on a particular initiative, writing a detailed description of the community might uncover something in the community's history that explains the strong emotions on that subject.
  • To develop a richer understanding than you would from a less descriptive and detailed method of gathering information, such as a survey.
  • To get a feel for the attitudes and opinions of the community when you're starting work on an initiative.
  • To take stock of the strengths that exist, as well as the shortcomings that need to be addressed in order to make a difference.


How can you use a community description?


There are many reasons to make this more concrete, and to put the information you've gathered together into written form. You can use a written document:

  • For your own reference
  • To share it with others who do work in your community
  • As background information for local reporters
  • As part of the justification for a grant proposal


When should you write a community description?


The following are some times that you will most likely need to write a community description:

  • When you're new to a community and want to be well informed before beginning your work. If you've just started working in a community--even if it's work you've been doing for years--you will probably find that taking the time to write a community description enriches your work.
  • When you've been working in a community for any length of time and want to take stock. Communities are complex, constantly-changing entities. By periodically stopping to write a detailed description of your community, you can assess what approaches have worked and what haven't; new needs that have developed over time and old concerns that no longer require your effort and energy; and other information to help you better do your work. This is also useful when you're feeling like you're stuck in a rut and need a fresh perspective.
  • When you're considering introducing a new initiative or program and want to assess its possible success. Aside from when you first come to a community, this is probably the most vital time to do a community description.

Example

You work with an inner city community development coalition and you want to get the city to increase police patrols in a high-crime neighborhood. By doing a detailed community description, you find that some years ago, there was an incidence of police brutality that later resulted in a small-scale civil disturbance happened in the area where you're hoping to increase the patrols. As a result, residents in the area tend to be distrustful and suspicious of police, and the police are reluctant to increase patrols in the area as well. Knowing this information, you do additional work to improve police-community relationships in the neighborhood, thus assuring more cooperation from both residents and police when the patrols are finally increased.

While writing a community description can be a time-consuming process, your work can almost always benefit from the information you gather.


What are the basic principles for learning about a community?


In getting to know the community, there are some basic principles to keep in mind that will prove instrumental should you also decide to write a detailed description of the community. First, you may find it helpful to view the community as the teacher and yourself as the student. Know that you will have a lot to learn from the community in this process and approach it with an open mind. Listen to what people have to say. Observe carefully. Keep track of what you see by taking notes. They can be used later to generate new questions or provide information that answers an old one.

Another basic principle is that in the life of a community, there is no cause-and-effect logic for the ways in which social interactions play themselves out. You will find that people in your community don't often have clear reasoning for why they react in a particular way to a given situation. The actions people take are best understood when the historical, social, and cultural context are taken into account. Race relations in the U.S., for example, can't be understood without knowing some of the historical context --such as how slavery was introduced in the U.S., or the significance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

To learn the most you can about a community or a particular situation you will want to find situations that tell you the most about it while taking the least effort. Some rules of thumb to follow are:

1. Simplicity. Find situations or settings that are not too complicated, if this is possible. They will be easier to understand. For example, if you're trying to find out about local housing laws, it is much simpler to find a local tenants' association handbook on housing than it is to go to City Hall and try to look up the laws there. Keep in mind, however, that it may not always be possible to find a simple approach.

2. Accessibility. Can you enter the setting? Some places are easier to gain access to. Gaining access to people's homes might prove difficult, for example, while the public library is open to all.

3. Unobtrusiveness. The more you stand out as different from others, the more you will cause people to react to you, and the less you learn about how the situation normally unfolds.

4. Permission. Do you need someone's permission to enter the scene? Choose free-entry situations as much as possible.

5. Frequent activity. Choose places where the activity you are interested in occurs regularly. You wouldn't choose to observe teen-age activities with a group of adults, or doctor-patient interaction at a movie theater.

Finally, don't assume that information about your community given to you by the "powers that be" -city government, for example--is necessarily accurate. Geographical boundaries, especially, are often very different in reality from what their official definition says they are.


How do you go about gaining an understanding of your community?


The first thing you'll want to do is get a feeling for your community as a whole. Community organizing experts Rachelle B. Warren and Donald I. Warren have offered some good steps to take in doing your community description. While their suggestions are more geared towards communities that are defined by a certain area, such as a neighborhood, their methods will at least give you an idea of how to thoroughly research a community.


1. Start off by gathering some basic tools.

  • If your community is one primarily defined by locale, you may want to make City Hall your first stop. Get to know what kind of government your city has, and make note of where City Hall is located in relation to other community centers and the central business district.
  • Gather maps of the area. Get at least two copies of city street maps; you can make notes on one of them and have the other one unmarked for when you do interviews. Having a good map helps you visualize your particular community and its relation to others. Even if the community you're working with isn't one based on locale, having a map on which you can mark the areas important to your community is very helpful.
  • Be sure you have a copy of the phone book, so that you have ready access to phone numbers and addresses. The phone book has lots of information on local resources and organizations.
  • Visit your local library. Libraries often serve as public information centers in their communities -- you should be able to find out a lot about what's going on in your area simply by checking out the bulletin board. Spend a little time talking to the reference librarians as well; they often know a great deal about what goes on in a community.
  • Following the local media should offer some insight into what's going on in your area as well. Start reading your city newspaper, watching local television news, listening to the radio -- you can even check out your city's web site (most cities of any size now have one). Almost all newspapers and city web sites have a community calendar section with listings of all sorts of events, meetings, and organizations in the area.
  • Finally, check out the chamber of commerce. In most towns, they will have a list of community organizations and contact persons that should give you an idea of who some of the key people are in the area you might want to contact at some point.


2. Make an initial drive through the area. If the community you're working with is a neighborhood or district, this is easy enough. But even your community is defined by some quality other than locale, you can still visit some of its important spaces. For example, if you're working with the Native American community, check out the places where members of that community gather: the local Native American center (if your area has one), bookstores, coffee shops, bars, regularly scheduled events -- any place you know of that serves as a meeting place for members of that community. Talk to people in the area.


3. At this point, make adjustments on your map in the boundaries of your community, if you feel you need to do so.


4. Review the area with a preliminary list of things to watch for. (Chapter 3, Section 1: Developing a Plan for Identifying Local Needs and Resources can help you determine what those things are.) Pay attention to any new growth and development in the area, as well as any signs of deterioration. The upkeep of buildings in your community will give you some insight into economic conditions in the area. Be sure to observe the social atmosphere as well --do people make eye contact on the street? Do relationships between residents seem friendly or strained? What kind of advertising do you see?


5. Contact and interview key individuals in the community. Of course, you'll want to be in touch with people who can affect your group (or are affected by it) anyway. An initial contact to gather information for your community description can be a good way to break the ice with these people. If you are already in contact with them, it's a good way to keep yourself up-to-date as well as to remind them of their importance to your organization.

Some of these key individuals might be the following:

  • school officials and PTA leaders
  • leaders of homeowner's and tenant's associations
  • ministers
  • leaders of local clubs and organizations
  • realtors and other business people
  • people who work with social service agencies
  • your community's "squeaky wheels" -- folks who are known for being very vocal about their dislikes and dissatisfactions may be extremely helpful in showing you the "big picture."

For more ideas on who to contact in your community, check out Chapter 18, Section 3: Identifying Targets and Agents of Change: Who Can Benefit and Who Can Help.

Some of these people you will want to just speak with briefly over the phone or meet for a cup of coffee; many, however, you will want to set up interviews with for a more in-depth view. People who will have a good amount of knowledge about the community may not be only community leaders "regular" John and Jane Q. Public-types can be great sources of information as well if you find people who are representative of the population you're going to be working with.

To decide whom to interview, start with a noted community leader, such as one of the people listed above. Then, ask your interviewee who they think you speak with next. There are three advantages to doing this.

  • This will usually lead you much more directly to the people you're looking for than using a phone book.
  • Having a referral can open doors that would otherwise remain locked to an outsider. Saying, "Father Joe told me that you would know a lot about the violence that is happening in the area. Would you mind talking to me for a few minutes?" is much more likely to elicit a positive response than, "I represent the Anti-Violence Coalition of America, and I need to interview residents of this neighborhood. Can I come in?"
  • You may find people who will be more candid with you than people in official positions.

Once you have decided who to interview, take a look at the following tips on conducting interviews.

  • Dress accordingly -- you'll probably want to wear something much different for a cup of coffee with a homeowner than an interview with the president of the bank. Think about your comfort, as well as that of the interviewee. Would a teenager be more comfortable if you wore jeans or a suit? Would a local politician be offended if you show up in shorts? Think carefully about this; how you dress and act can have a huge impact on what you hear.
  • If possible, take someone along with you to take notes or bring a tape recorder so you can concentrate on just directing the conversation.
  • Take a few minutes to make small talk and make your interviewee comfortable. If you are doing the interview on your home turf (your office, for example), or even a neutral site, ask about his physical comfort. Offer him a drink; explain where the bathroom is. Showing you are concerned about their comfort can be the first step towards a trusting relationship.
  • Explain why you have asked for the interview. Be very clear with what will be done with the results of your interview -- is this just for your own personal reference, or could it going to end up in a formal report or the local newspaper? Give the interviewee a chance to ask any questions he or she might have about your presence.
  • Ask the individual for his or her definition of the community. Some people only see their community as a narrowly defined location; still others will view it in broader, more abstract terms. This might be a good time to pull out your unmarked map, let the interviewee point out key locations in the area, and give you his or her view on where the physical boundaries of the community lie.
  • Ask questions to follow up on any leads that come out of what the interviewee has said so far. Start directing the conversation a bit more, but base your questions on statements that the interviewee has made.

Example: Possible interview questions

  • How long have you been a member of the community?
  • How do you feel about the community?
  • What do you feel are some of this community's strengths?
  • What are some ways in which improvements in the community could be made?
  • What makes you proud of your community?
  • What can you tell me about the history of the community?
  • What do you think lies in the future for this community?

Try asking things in different ways. If you're having difficulty getting the interviewee to understand any of your questions, you can use your own experience to illustrate situations you're concerned with. For example, "When my father was injured at work several years ago, our neighbors really helped my family out by bringing meals to us, driving my dad to his medical appointments when my mom had to work, that kind of thing. Do you think people in this community would do the same kind of thing for one another? Why or why not?"

Another technique you may want to use to get more information from the interviewee is to bring up hypothetical situations -- the "what if?" questions. For example, "What if a needle exchange program were started downtown to cut down on HIV infection? Do you think community leaders would support it or be opposed to it?" The interviewee will often respond with examples of how similar things have occurred in the neighborhood.

Let the interviewee end the interview. Once you've gathered all the information you need, ask the interviewee what he or she wants to know from you. The interviewee will feel validated by the opportunity to express his or her questions, and the questions may reveal more useful information to you.

This is a good time for you to start getting to know people and building real relationships with them. Folks will generally be impressed that you care enough about the community to be doing all this research, so be sure to take the time to set aside your notepad or tape recorder and just talk a bit with your contacts.

Thank the interviewee for his or her time. Following up with a short thank-you note isn't just good manners --it helps your contacts remember who you are, and leaves them with a positive impression. That way, they're more willing to work with you in the future.


6. Make your down time count by visiting local hangouts. Is there a bookstore, neighborhood pub, or coffee shop where people in the community tend to gather? Go to these places between the interviews so that you can further observe the social environment and general "feel" of the community.


7. Bring a partner along for important interviews, and consider finding a local teammate for the entire process. Having someone to bounce ideas off of, especially someone who is intimately acquainted with the community, is very effective.


How do you write your community description?


At this point, you have probably collected enough information to form your community description. This can be done in the following few steps:

1. Write up a draft of your initial description and analysis. How long this is, how formal it is --that's entirely up to you, and what you have decided to use the report for. A couple of handwritten pages might do for three or four people in the office; a professionally bound version may be more apt to present to the mayor.

2. Next, while the analysis is still in its draft form, you might also want to share it with some important community members. They can let you know if the report is accurate. If people have comments, make adjustments now, not later.

3. Next, carefully consider results of your work so far, keeping in mind demographics, expenses and income, community attitudes and opinion, and current "hot" issues. Compare the current year's issues in your community to those in past years. What has changed? What has stayed the same?

4. After reflecting on these, ask yourself: What improvements can be made? What can be done to make your neighborhood stronger? What ideas or strategies have failed and should be altered or perhaps abandoned?

5. Include all of this information in your writing. Again, get feedback from a few varied sources in your neighborhood before completing your final description and analysis.

6. Write, edit, and edit again.

If you have followed all of the steps in this section, you now hold a tool that you will be able to refer back to again and again whenever you have questions or need background information in the community. It might be an exhaustive essay or a very brief summary of what you have found. But even the process of writing a community description helps you become more informed, more on top of things, and in the end, more a real member of the community.



We encourage the reproduction of this material, but ask that you credit the

Community Tool Box:  http://ctb.ku.edu



Resources

Jones, B. (1979). Defining your neighborhood. In Neighborhood Planning: A Guide for Citizens and Planners. Chicago, IL: Planners Press, pp. 8-11.

Scheie, D. (1991, August-September). Tools for taking stock. The Neighborhood Works. Chicago, IL: Center for Neighborhood Technology, pp. 16-17.

Spradley, J. P. (1980). Locating a social situation. In Participant Observation. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, pp. 45-52.

Warren, R.B., Warren, D.I. (1977). The Neighborhood Organizer's Handbook. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, pp.167-196.