This toolkit provides guidance for conducting assessments of community needs and resources. OutlineExamples Describe the makeup and history of the community to provide a context within which to collect data on its current concerns. Comment on the types of information that best describes the community (e.g., demographic, historical, political, civic participation, key leaders, past concerns, geographic, assets) Describe the sources of information used (e.g., public records, local people, internet, maps, library, newspaper) Comment on whether there are sufficient resources (e.g., time, personnel, resources) available to collect this information Assess the quality of the information Describe the strengths and problems you heard about Related resources:Understanding and Describing the CommunityCollecting Information About the ProblemConducting InterviewsConducting SurveysQualitative Methods to Assess Community IssuesUsing Public Records and Archival DataIdentifying Community Assets and ResourcesSWOT Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Describe what matters to people in the community, including a description of: Issues that people in the community care about (e.g., safety, education, housing, health) How important these issues are to the community (e.g., perceived importance, consequences for the community) Methods the group will (did) use to listen to the community (e.g., listening sessions, public forums, interviews, concerns surveys, focus groups) Related resources:Obtaining Feedback from Constituents: What Changes are Important and Feasible?Participatory Approaches to Planning Community InterventionsRating Community GoalsThe Constituent Survey of Outcomes: Ratings of ImportanceConducting Public Forums and Listening SessionsConducting Focus GroupsConducting Concerns SurveysConducting InterviewsConducting Surveys Describe what matters to key stakeholders, including: Who else cares about the issue (the stakeholders) and what do they care about? What stakeholders want to know about the situation (e.g., who is affected, how many, what factors contribute to the problem) Prioritized populations and subgroups that stakeholders intend to benefit from the effort Methods you will (did) use to gather information (e.g., surveys, interviews) Related resources:Developing a Plan for Assessing Local Needs and ResourcesConducting Needs Assessment SurveysDetermining Service UtilizationIdentifying Targets and Agents of Change: Who Can Benefit and Who Can Help?Conducting InterviewsConducting Surveys (For each candidate problem/goal) Describe the evidence indicating whether the problem/goal should be a priority issue, including: The community-level indicators (e.g., rate of infant deaths or vehicle crashes) related to the issue How frequently the problem (or related behavior) occurs (e.g., number of youth reporting alcohol use in the past 30 days) How many people are affected by the problem and the severity of its effects How feasible it is to address the issue Possible impact and/or consequences of addressing the problem/goal Related resources:Collecting Information about the ProblemDeveloping Baseline MeasuresObtaining Feedback from Constituents: What Changes are Important and Feasible?Gathering and Using Community-Level Indicators Describe the barriers and resources for addressing the identified issue(s), including: Barriers or resistance to solving the problem or achieving the goal (e.g., denial or discounting of the problem) and how they can be minimized (e.g., reframing the issue) What resources and assets are available and how the group can tap into those resources to address the issue Community context or situation that might make it easier or more difficult to address this issue Related resources:Developing a Plan for Identifying Local Needs and ResourcesIdentifying Community Assets and ResourcesIdentifying OpponentsOverview of Opposition Tactics: Recognizing the Ten D'sHow to Respond to Opposition Tactics (Based on the assessment) Select and state the priority issue (or issues) to be addressed by the group.
