Program Evaluation
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Running head: CATHOLIC CHARITIES EVALUATION PROPOSAL
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CATHOLIC CHARITIES PROGRAM EVALUATION
Catholic Charities Program Evaluation
Luz Sanabria-Reyes
Ohio University
Program Evaluation MPA 5580
Dr. Lesli Johnson & Dr. Holly Raffle
December 4, 2022
Introduction
Overview of the Program
Catholic Charities is a nonprofit organization with eight reginal offices that serves 54 out of the 100 counties in North Carolinas (Catholic Charities, 2022). The organization has eight offices that serve different counties across the state. Each office has an Executive Director, an Office Manager, a Disaster Case Manager, an Outreach Coordinator, and volunteers. Catholic Charities has four programs that all offices implement in their respective counties, which are Food Pantries, Disaster, Immigration Legal, and Family Advancement Services. Families may be able to receive services from one or all programs. For the purpose of this evaluation, we will be assessing the Disaster Services program and its effectiveness.
Catholic’s Charities Disaster Services Program works to help individuals, families, and the community prepare for and recover from natural disasters. The Disaster Services Program focuses on the response, recovery, and preparedness phases of the disaster cycle. The initial response phase consists of staff addressing the basic needs of survivors through the distribution of donated goods, such as nonperishable food and water, cleaning supplies, and hygiene items. During the recovery phase, Catholic Charities distributes financial assistance and provides disaster case management services to help families navigate the difficulties that a disaster can create in their lives, including securing resources for temporary housing, repair and reconstruction of damaged homes, and personal property replacement. In addition, Catholic Charities provides assistance with household expenses such as first month rent payment and utility deposit.
Another important service that is provided through their disaster program is training and education for community and individual preparedness. Throughout the year, Catholic Charities works with community to conduct public preparedness events. These events give Catholic Charities the opportunity to share information and supplies with the communities they serve. In addition, the program organizes yearly workshops for volunteers on different topics related to how to help their own communities. Moreover, Catholic Charities leverages the power of volunteers through the NC Catholics Volunteers (NCCV) program. The Disaster Services program manages NCCV, which provides the opportunity for individuals to work on a construction site and help a family return home after a natural disaster.
Most of the funds use to provide disaster services are obtained through disaster grants, donations and fundraising activities. Each Executive Director is responsible for seeking and applying for grants and to organize fundraising events. Fundraising events may varie by county. However, most of the Catholic Charities offices heavily relied on the support of their local parishes. Local parishes are a reliable source for donations and volunteer support for the disaster program.
Goal of the Program
The Disaster Services program goal is to help improve the recovery outcomes of low SES communities and reduce disaster impact by better preparing North Carolina communities.
Logic Model
Literature Review
Climate variability and land use change have played a significant role in the increased intensity of storms in the past 20 years (McDaniel, 2021). According to McDaniel, despite the increasing frequency and severity of disasters, deaths from these disasters have decreased nearly threefold in the last five decades. However, something that it is not decreasing is the property damages and loss of personal property that, in many cases, leaves the impacted families dealing with homelessness, food insecurity, and health risks caused by the disaster (Bimal Kanti, 2006). In his article, Bimal Kanti explains that the impact of disasters can affect critical social aspects of an individual and the communities, including psychosocial, socioeconomic, sociodemographic, and political. Furthermore, these social impacts can develop over a long period.
These social impacts can elongate the recovery process of an individual, family, or community. Some population segments, such as underserved communities, are more prone to suffer these impacts. Particularly significant are the problems lower-income households face, which tend to be impacted disproportionately (Manjiang et al., 2021). According to Manjiang, such households are more likely to experience the destruction of their homes because of preimpact locational vulnerability and fewer resources to draw for recovery. For this reason, these families experience a longer long-term recovery process.
In 2017 SAMHSA, issued a Supplemental Research Bulleting focused on the disproportionate impact of natural disasters on people from low socioeconomic status (SES). The SAMHSA research determined that low SES communities are at greater risk of negative experiences, effects, and reactions before, during, and after a disaster. This is due to the vulnerability of housing, difficulties accessing recourses, the lack of knowledge connected to preparedness and warnings, and the trauma they experience during and after a disaster. In addition, research concluded that one important factor worsening the disaster outcome for low SES communities was connected to a lack of disaster preparation. The National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University conducted a national survey in which nearly two-thirds of respondent from low SES households (65%) reported having no disaster plans or having plans that are not adequate (Sury et al., 2016). These were families that also reported experiencing major loss and barriers throughout the response and recovery phases.
Type of Evaluation
Description of the Outcome Evaluation
To assess the Effectiveness of Catholic Charities Disaster Services Program, an outcome evaluation was conducted to look at the impact of the program on the target group. In this case, this evaluation examined the impact that the Disaster Services Program (intervention) has on the individuals and families from low SES communities seeking services due to disaster related unmet needs (targeted population). This type of evaluation is implemented to determine the programs achievement. Based on the details, process, and execution of the program, it was determined that an outcome evaluation approach was the most suitable for various reasons.
Justification
The disaster program has already been implemented and has been servicing NC residents for over five years. As previous stated this program aims to address the needs of individuals and families by providing resources that will decrease the time they spend in the recovery process and preparing them for the next disaster. Outcome evaluation seeks to help better identify and understand the program’s effect in the target population by assessing the progress in the outcomes that the program is attempting to address (Weiss & Weiss, 1998). Inferred from the programs objectives, the Disaster Program is more concerned with the outcomes of the families and individuals after participating in the program rather than periodic outcomes (Catholic Charities, 2022). Outcome evaluations are additionally implemented to find out if the projects or programs have reached/met their goals and objectives specific to their organizational program (Weiss & Weiss, 1998).
Evaluation Method
Description
Bimal Kanti, P. (2006). Disaster Relief Efforts: An Update. Sage Journal.
Catholic Charities (2022). Catholic Charities. Catholic Charities of the Dioceses of Raleigh. https://www.catholiccharitiesraleigh.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA1ZGcBhCoARIsAGQ0kkqyvj5K7qgfSipmsS6ZcqbHImR1qQU5FxuZaRKAuz9CtZdc_0tuqS0aAlpqEALw_wcB
CDC (2020). Flooding from Hurricane Matthew in North Carolina. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/cpr/readiness/stories/nc.htm
Friesma, H. P., Caporaso, J., Goldstein, G., Linberry, R., and McCleary, R. ~1979!. Aftermath: Communities after natural disasters, Sage, Beverly Hills, Calif
Manjiang Shi, Qi Cao, Baisong Ran, Lanyan Wei, A Conceptual Framework Integrating “Building Back Better” and Post-Earthquake Needs for Recovery and Reconstruction, Sustainability, 10.3390/su13105608, 13, 10, (5608), (2021)
McDaniel, E. (2021). Weather Disasters Have Become 5 Times As Common, Thanks in Part To Climate Change. NPR (North Carolina Public Radio). https://www.npr.org/2021/09/07/1034607602/weather-disasters-have-become-five-times-as-common-thanks-in-part-to-climate-cha
SAMHSA. (2017). Greater Impact: How Disasters Affect People of Low Socioeconomic Status. SAMHSA. https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/dtac/srb-low-ses_2.pdf
Sury, J., Chandler, T., Herrera, C., Bhaskar, S., Sehnert, E., Martinez, S., . . . Redlener, I. (2016, May 12). The American Preparedness Project: Where the U.S. public stands in 2015 (Research Brief 2016_2). New York, NY: National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University’s Earth Institute. doi: 10.7916/D84Q7TZN Retrieved from https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/catalog/ac:198722
Weiss, C. H., & Weiss, C. H. (1998). Evaluation: Methods for studying programs and policies. Pearson College Division.
Wright, J. D., Rossi, P. H., Wright, S. R., and Weber-Burdin, E. (1979). After the clean-up: Long-range effects of natural disasters, Sage, Beverly Hills, Calif