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Community Work
What do we count?
Identifying indicators
Workshop Objectives
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
This session focuses on examining the relationship between
family and community success.

We have reviewed a number of the performance indicators
from sources of major funding for community level work and
will share how these are similar to the current NPIs and how
new indicators may be adapted.

Participant feedback: other funding sources and indicators
that may be helpful to roll up into the overall reporting for
CSBG success as related to the Six National Goals
Family, Agency, & Community are
Interrelated
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
Teach a man to fish and he can feed his family for a
lifetime…
 But only if there are fish in the waters
 And if he has access to the fishing pond
 Does the pond exist?

Agencies should be able to impact the family level
outcome of increased skill development (learning to
fish), and the community level outcome of the local
resource (fishing pond).
Relationship Between Family and
Community Success
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
There is an exchange between a person and their community.
A person both affects and is affected by their community. The
community both affects and is affected by the individuals in
the community.

Based on this premise, efforts must focus on both the
family/individual and community level.
 If there is a lack of living wage jobs in a community, how will programs
designed to improve individual employment skills help to solve the
problem?
Six National Goals
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1. Low-income people become more self-sufficient.
2. The conditions in which low-income people live are
improved.
3. Low-income people own a stake in their community.
4. Partnerships among supporters and providers of services to
low-income people are achieved.
5. Agencies increase their capacity to achieve results.
6. Low-income people, especially vulnerable populations,
achieve their potential by strengthening family and other
supportive systems.
Contrasting Family, Agency, Community
Outcomes
related to
One individual or
one family
Org Standards/Agency
Capacity
Community condition or
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system
Domains of
change
Employment
Education
Income Management
Housing
Nutrition
Health
Family Development
Maximum Feasible Participation
Policy
Public Safety
Social capital and civic
engagement
Economic opportunities,
commercial assets, access to
financial services
Facilities
Services
Consumer Input and Involvement
Community Engagement
Community Assessment
Vision and Direction
Organizational Leadership
Board Governance
Strategic Planning
Operations and Accountability
Human Resource Management
Financial Operations and Oversight
Data and Analysis
Community Action’s
Pathway to Thriving Communities
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GOAL 2
THRIVING
SAFE
STABLE
GOAL 3
GOAL 4
Communities are healthy, safe and resilient.
Communities are
environments that
enable families to
meet their basic
needs.
Individuals with low
incomes are
meaningfully engaged
in community activities
and projects, to
achieve their personal
goals and to increase
/maintain the worth of
the community.
There is shared purpose and
shared action among service
providers, businesses, asset
developers and others which
are supported by
collaboration and joint
planning to meet community
needs.
Community
conditions are
improved and
provide
opportunities and
support to families.
Individuals have
opportunities for
meaningful
engagement and
decision making.
Collaboration and joint
planning is done for the
most important community
needs.
Planning for Community Change:
Identify Indicators
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“Real, lasting community change is built around
knowing where you are, where you want to be,
and whether your efforts are making a difference.
Indicators are a necessary ingredient for
sustainable change.
And the process of selecting community indicators -who chooses, how they choose, what they choose - is as important as the data you select.”
Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission, 2011, Data That Tells A Story
Reporting Community Work
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•
The agency can clearly articulate the
purpose of community level activity
(strategy) and the expected changes that
will be produced.
•
The agency can identify the number and
purpose of partnerships engaged in joint
planning to produce community change.
Reporting Community Work
cont
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•
The agency can track its involvement in
and value to community changes.
•
The agency records involvement of their
customers (individuals with low-income)
in community projects.
How We Report Now: Goal 2
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Goal 2: The conditions in which low-income people live are improved.
(current) NPI 2.1: Community Improvement and Revitalization
Increase in, or safeguarding of, threatened opportunities and community resources or services
for low-income people in the community as a result of Community Action projects/initiatives or
advocacy with other public and private agencies, as measured by one or more of the following:

Total agencies reporting data within any indicator in FY13: 881
(current) NPI 2.2: Community Quality of Life and Assets
The quality of life and assets in low-income neighborhoods are improved by Community Action
initiative or advocacy, as measured by one or more of the following.

Total agencies reporting data within any indicator in FY13: 605
How We Report Now: Goal 3
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Goal 3: Low-income people own a stake in their community.
(current) NPI 3.2: Community Empowerment through Maximum Feasible
Participation
The number of low-income people mobilized as a direct result of Community Action initiatives to
engage in activities that support and promote their own well-being and that of their community,
as measured by one or more of the following.

Total agencies reporting data within any indicator in FY13: 927
What Do We Report Now?
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 Infrastructure/physical improvements housing,
facilities (health centers or community centers), and
other physical items (sidewalks, commercial facades,
water systems)
 Service transportation, health services, pharmacies,
grocery stores, schools and other education services, day
care services,
 Economic development jobs, businesses
 Quality of life social capital and civic engagement,
recreation, libraries
Goal Two
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The conditions in which lowincome people live are improved.
•
•
•
•
Community Action addresses complex issues to creating
thriving communities with improved conditions.
Agencies use the community needs assessment to
identify the causes and conditions of issues within the
community.
The agency can then identify a strategy to address this
issue and produce a positive community outcome.
Goal Three
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•
People with low incomes own a
stake in their community.
• Communities are improved when people with low incomes
are connected to networks and are engaged in caring for
their community.
• People with low incomes who are connected to community
networks improve their social capital through maximum
feasible participation.
Goal Three
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Lasting change must be driven by community input and buy-in
from residents.
 Lack of safety in the community and in your own home
produces isolation and separation of community members.
 Community engagement fosters individual skill development
and produces positive change within the social environment.
 Low-income residents who develop connections to
surrounding communities as well as their own gain access to
opportunities to apply their skills.

Goal Four
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•
Partnerships among supporters and
providers of services to low-income
people are achieved.
• Partnerships will achieve a specific purpose.
• Partnerships are a means for both agency and
community level goals.
Purpose of Goal Four
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•
To improve the agency functioning.
• Agency customers have access to other services
• Partners provide resources for agency activities
• Improves the sustainability of services and programs
within a community.
•
To improve community conditions.
• Agency participates in “Collective Impact” projects
• Builds partnerships based on mutual self-interest and
creates win-win situations.
Possible Outcomes of Partnerships
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Sharing service
• Expanding services
• Increasing access
• Sharing information
• Create Single record
system
• Improved outcomes
• Reduced costs
• Expand capacity of staff
•
•
•
•
•
Reduced paperwork
Reduced duplication of
service
Reduced gaps
Tracking of referral
systems
• Service received
• Outcome achieved
•
Creativity and Innovation
2012 Community Action Partnership and PRI, “Collaboration Checklist” tool
kit at www.communityactionpartnership.com
What Counts?
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“We know if you organize the right resources
and sequence them and really provide all of
those opportunities to people we can have
tremendous outcomes.”
–David Erickson, Federal Reserve Bank
http://www.whatcountsforamerica.org/moving-forward-using-data-to-end-intergenerational-poverty-inamericas-communities/
What Counts?
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Common Elements of these Tremendous
Outcomes:
 Cross-sectoral
 Place-based
 Use data regularly
 Intermediary organization
 Buy-in from the community
http://www.whatcountsforamerica.org/moving-forward-using-data-to-end-intergenerational-poverty-inamericas-communities/
Sample Indicators from the Field
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 HUD
 Choice Neighborhoods
 CSBG Monitoring and Assessment Task Force
 Community Scaling Tool
 Opportunity Nation
 Opportunity Index
Choice Neighborhoods (HUD)
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Choice Neighborhoods (HUD) is focused on three core goals:
1. Housing: Replace distressed public and assisted housing with high-quality
mixed-income housing that is well-managed and responsive to the needs
of the surrounding neighborhood;
2. People: Improve educational outcomes and intergenerational mobility for
youth with services and supports delivered directly to youth and their
families; and
3. Neighborhood: Create the conditions necessary for public and private
reinvestment in distressed neighborhoods to offer the kinds of amenities
and assets, including safety, good schools, and commercial activity, that
are important to families’ choices about their community.
Additional HUD goals
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Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Areas designed to promote
innovative programs in economically disadvantaged areas of
the community:
Housing
 support housing for a greater mix of income levels
Public Services
 offer a more intensive level of services within the approved
area
Economic Development
 assist businesses and meet job creation or retention
requirements
CSBG Monitoring and Assessment
Task Force
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Community Scaling Tool
Opportunity Nation: Opportunity Index
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Jobs
Wages
Poverty
Inequality
Assets
Affordable Housing
Internet Access
Preschool Enrollment
On-time High School
Graduation
http://opportunityindex.org/methods-sources/
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•
•
•
Post-Secondary Education
Group Membership
Volunteerism
Youth Economic and
Academic Inclusion
• Community Safety
• Access to Health Care
• Access to Health Food
Discussion
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What information do you report to other
funding sources that may be helpful to
measure and report overall CSBG success
related to the Six National Goals?
What is next for Community Level work in
Community Action?
Contact Us
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For more information please visit our website at
http://www.nascsp.org/.