Evaluation Sourcebook (.pdf) - School of Natural Resources and ...

SOCIALOBJECTIVESEconomy | Community Character | Interaction & Engagement | Capacity | SustainabilityCommunity capacitySERVICESFostering high quality services and maintaining a safety netfor residents is frequently of concern to communitymembers. Aspects of particular concern include affordablehousing, day care, health care and transit. Such servicesreduce stress and uncertainty, allow elderly residents tocontinue to live in a community, support families andpromote human health and quality of life. These servicesmay be especially difficult to access in rural settings, yetthey are of central importance for residents’ well being.Community capacity refers tothe overall ability to live, work,and play in the community. Acommunity with capacity is ableto support residents withservices, employment,education, and recreationopportunities, allowing them todevelop and use their skills forpersonal and public benefit.An examination of available services can help your project understand the ways in whichresidents’ needs are being met and to devise strategies that are sensitive to those needs. Inaddition to gathering empirical data on the availability of services, interviewing residents inthe context of individual questionnaires or focus groups can help your project assesscommunity perceptions of the provision of services and their accessibility—information thatmight be difficult to ascertain from numerical figures alone.V Sample objectives• Increase lifelong health care• Expand opportunities for affordable housing• Support an accessible, affordable and convenient mass transit systemSample evaluation questions and indicatorsX How accessible is healthcare in our community? Is accessibility improving? Local hospital capacityPercent of people with health insurance coverageAvailability of prenatal careResponses to survey that asks respondents to rate health care accessibilityX Is there enough affordable housing in our community? Number of new dwelling unitsPercent of households reportinghousing problemsNumber of homeless adults andchildrenAverage monthly rentApartment vacancy rateResponses to survey on difficultyobtaining housingEcosystem Management Initiative 76