Community Results Center
The Community Results Center is increasingly called upon to assist local projects in a variety of ways. Many of our skill sets were developed as part of our major projects, but our abilities in mapping, field data collection, data analysis, community outreach and program evaluation can be applied in any way that assists your work. The Community Results Center works with city governments, neighborhood groups, community-based nonprofits, school systems and foundations.
Learn more about our work in the following areas:
Mapping & GIS Services
Maps can be useful tools to assess community needs, understand patterns of behavior, analyze the availability of services, and benchmark conditions that an initiative hopes to change over time. The Community Results Center has mapped:
- exterior conditions of homes for a homeownership program with funds to invest in improvements
- concentrations of low income families with children, addresses of pediatricians accepting Medicaid and bus routes for a coalition building a community strategy for early childhood services
- five years of housing investments and abandoned buildings to help a group of community development corporations understand change in neighborhood conditions
- thirty years of change in concentrations of families living in poverty for a foundation interested in improving family economic success
The Community Results Center can produce maps as PDF files, 8.5 x 11 handouts and poster sized prints for meetings. We can also provide maps ready for your website or an interactive mapping tool that permits web users to choose among variables to create their own maps.
For more information, visit CT Atlas and contact Arroll Borden by phone at (860) 571-7201 or email at arroll.borden@ctunitedway.org.
Field Data Collection
In its City Scan program, the Community Results Center has developed expertise and experience in both the technology and operations of collecting field data about an array of community issues. This work has included both physical conditions (such as litter or abandoned buildings) and survey interviews. The Community Results Center can perform any field data collection project designed to meet your needs, or supply the software, training materials and advice so you can manage your own project. The Community Results Center has worked in many locations around Connecticut and in ten other states.
For more information, contact Sean Ghio at (860) 571-7209 or by email at sean.ghio@ctunitedway.org
Survey Design & Implementation
The Community Results Center has experience working with surveys and focus groups. Not only can Community Results Center staff design surveys and analyze the responses, but we have implemented surveys at the community level using a variety of innovative techniques. The Community Results Center has:
- designed and implemented a survey of high school students conducted by fellow students using handheld computers to better understand how youth use programs designed to prevent obesity
- designed and managed a random sample phone survey of city residents to understand their level of satisfaction with city government services
- managed the field implementation of 700 face-to-face interviews of residents in lower income neighborhoods conducted in both English and Spanish
For more information, contact Maria Dynia at (860) 571-7215 or by email at maria.dynia@ctunitedway.org
Outcomes, Indicators and Data Analysis
The Community Results Center mission is all about results. We believe that community initiatives should clearly identify measurable goals to both increase their likelihood of success and make their work more understandable to the broader community. The Community Results Center has worked with many groups interested in using data and other information to be clear about intended results and outcomes. The Community Results Center has:
- Worked with a coalition of regional groups to develop a list of indicators for livable cities
- Assisted a community effort to identify key indicators of success in improving family economic success and school readiness
- Helped a city government development a wide range of performance measures, particularly those involving neighborhood quality of life
- Facilitated strategic planning retreats of elected town officials to set top priorities for municipal government and schools
For more information, contact Sean Ghio at (860) 571-7209 or by email at sean.ghio@ctunitedway.org
Community Outreach
The Community Results Center has managed community outreach efforts in a variety of issue areas and different types of communities. This work has included both formal processes such as combining large town meetings and small group conversations to develop a community strategy for early childhood services; and more informal one-on-one efforts to increase resident engagement in community change initiatives. The Community Results Center has extensive experience in how to connect with residents by using information that gets attention and increases a sense of empowerment to affect change.
For more information, contact Maria Dynia at (860) 571-7215 or by email at maria.dynia@ctunitedway.org
Program Evaluation
The Community Results Center has conducted both large scale program evaluations using experimental and control group analysis and less extensive evaluations based on readily available data. This work has spanned program areas as diverse as juvenile justice alternative sanction programs and outreach efforts to promote the use of the Earned Income Tax credit in low income neighborhoods.
For more information, contact Maria Dynia at (860) 571-7215 or by email at maria.dynia@ctunitedway.org
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