2008 Community Needs Assessment

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Community Action of Nebraska is comprised of nine individual Community Action Agencies (CAAs) serving all 93 counties in Nebraska. To better serve communities in Nebraska, Community Action Agencies developed a survey to determine areas of greatest need. Based on the survey results, Community Action intends to look at current programs and services and update them in ways that will best address the needs of the community.

In 2007, Community Action of Nebraska facilitated focus groups in Omaha, Beatrice, Kearney, Sidney, Scottsbluff, and Chadron to pilot the survey and gain insight from residents as to what problems exist in their communities. Some of their most frequent and consistent comments and observations are included below.

In 2008, Community Action Agencies based in Gering, Wisner, Kearney, Humboldt, Fairbury, and Omaha distributed a survey to clients and non-clients in their service areas which, when combined, cover 65 counties in Nebraska.

A total of 5,630 surveys were distributed and 2,589 were returned for a 46 percent return rate. The respondent sample was comprised of clients and non-clients and the survey asked respondents whether they agreed or disagreed with a number of statements about basic needs, childcare, employment, financial health, housing, mental health, social support, transportation, and healthcare. The survey also included a section of questions determining demographic characteristics of the respondents in order to better understand the sample population.

The survey was developed with input from a committee of three Community Action representatives and led by Kristin Duppong Hurley, Ph.D., from the Center for At Risk Children at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.