Last month, the Center developed a community needs assessment report for a twelve county region in Central Texas for the Brazos Valley Community Action Agency (BVCAA). CCHD utilized data collected through the household survey, community discussion groups and secondary data analysis from the Center’s 2013 Regional Health Assessment and additional data was collected in Chambers, Liberty and Waller Counties.
Community needs assessments are one of the three planning processes that Community Action Agencies are required to complete in order to receive Community Services Block Grants. These grants support programs and services aimed at decreasing poverty in communities and addressing the needs of low-income individuals. Services provided by BVCAA address employment, education, nutrition, utility assistance and/or health needs. Community Services Block Grants support BVCAA programs such as “Head Start”, a Federal program for preschool children of low-income families and “Meals on Wheels”, a food delivery service for seniors.
This Community Needs Assessment was led by Principal Investigator, Dr. Jim Burdine, and Project Team Lead, Ms. Angie Alaniz, and included the distribution and collection of four different survey instruments, comparison and analysis of secondary data and a full summary report. BVCAA will use the assessment report to inform the two other required components, the Strategic Plan and the Community Action Plan, which will illustrate the agency’s priorities and their plan to implement programs that meet the community needs.