Assignment: Community Needs Assessment Plan, Priorities, Timelines, and Decision Making Protocols

Running head: ASSESSMENT PLAN 1

ASSESSMENT PLAN 6

Name:

Course: HUMN 6785

Professor:

Community Needs Assessment Plan Goals and Data Sources: Problem Statement

Oahu has a blatant difference in income among its residents. More than 30% of the residents live below the poverty line, representing the highest number of census tracts (Vorsino 2015). The poverty rate in Hawaii State is primarily driven by the population aged 18-64 on Oahu. The Native Hawaiian population is the race that is a primary concern when it comes to being underserved. On Oahu, this population accounts for 9.4%; focusing on the population aged 18-64. Unemployment and homelessness are the leading cause of poverty among Native Hawaiians. According to the 2016 statistics, the unemployment rate of this underserved population in Oahu falls short of the national average for labor force participation rates among adults below the poverty level (Chang and Seitz 2021). Similarly, research by Partners in Care, a local coalition whose objective is to eliminate homelessness, reveals that the Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders are overrepresented by 210% of the homeless population in Oahu, Hawaii.

Community Needs Assessment Plan Team Strategy

Goals

· Provide educational programs to families and the community about the issue of homelessness and the factors that cause homelessness.

· Provide the youths with industry-focused skills programs that apply innovative practices to connect them to employers at an earlier stage of seeking jobs.

Data Sources

1. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Report- the team can use the report to evaluate American Native and Alaska Native housing needs and issues in Oahu, Hawaii (Mokuau 2013). The team can use the information to understand the housing conditions and market circumstances in Oahu, Hawaii. So far, the team has conducted an analysis of the housing needs of Native Hawaiians in various environments while concentrating on housing affordability and quality. This information was supplemented by the census analysis provided by housing organizations and professionals.

2. Local Reports- The team will review a local report derived from the “US Census Bureau, 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates” on Oahu, Hawaii. The report provides information on the demography, social and economic characteristics of Oahu, Hawaii. Similarly, it includes information on housing characteristics based on the diverse race of the area (Peterson, Weden, and Shih 2017). The team can use the data source to understand the poverty in Oahu, Hawaii, by evaluating the fourteen race groups based on the population size and estimated percentage of the total population.

3. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) Reports- provide information on the unemployment rate and eligible individuals for unemployment benefits in Oahu, Hawaii (Guerin 2015). The team can use this data source to understand the unemployment rate in Oahu, Hawaii. This will provide invaluable information on the individuals who are most affected by poverty and the cause. The team has collected and analyzed these reports to describe the intensity of change needed to the region.

4. Call Data Records (CDR). It is a type of anonymized data generated from mobile phone networks. The team can use this data source to develop high-resolution maps of the geographic distribution of poverty. Similarly, it allows the team to gain insight by predicting the poverty and wealth of individual subscribers. Approximately 83% of Oahu, Hawaii residents have access to mobile devices with internet subscriptions (Blumenstock, Cadamuro, and On 2015). CDRs have been used to capture both micro and macro patterns of human interactions. The team controls the individual anonymity of the residents through spatial and temporal aggregation.

5. Satellite Imagery and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Data- It uses the earth observation satellites to gather data through meteorological conditions and nighttime lights metrics, which are used to estimate economic activity (Pokhriyal and Jacques 2017). The team can use this method to improve the current economic production statistics of Oahu. However, this data source fails to provide information on micro and macro behavior and socioeconomic ties, which is crucial to gaining a better understanding of poverty in Oahu, Hawaii. GIS data is also used with satellite data to gain in-depth insight into the availability of natural and manmade resources and structures.

References

Blumenstock, Joshua, Gabriel Cadamuro, and Robert On. 2015. “Predicting Poverty and Wealth from Mobile Phone Metadata.” Science 350 (6264): 1073–76.

Chang, Williamson, and Abbey Seitz. 2021. “It’s Time to Acknowledge Native Hawaiians' Special Right to Housing - Honolulu Civil Beat.” January 8, 2021. https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/01/its-time-to-acknowledge-native-hawaiians-special-right-to-housing/.

Guerin, Lisa. 2015. “Collecting Unemployment Benefits in Hawaii.” Nolo. March 19, 2015. https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/collecting-unemployment-benefits-hawaii.html.

Mokuau, Noreen. 2013. “Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.” Encyclopedia of Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.262.

Peterson, Christine, Margaret Weden, and Regina Shih. 2017. “Demographic, Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics: Development of a U.S. Contextual Database of 1990--2010 Measures.” https://doi.org/10.7249/rr1741.

Pokhriyal, Neeti, and Damien Christophe Jacques. 2017. “Combining Disparate Data Sources for Improved Poverty Prediction and Mapping.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 114 (46): E9783–92.

Vorsino, Mary. 2015. “Census: Oahu Has State’s Highest Concentrations of Rich and Poor.” KHNL/KGMB. December 5, 2015. https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/30673084/census-figures-show-oahu-has-states-starkest-income-differences/.