[July 29, 2011] CAP releases findings from survey on needs Tweet Jul 29, 2011 (St. Joseph News-Press - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The Community Action Partnership released the findings Thursday of a study that will help the agency better understand the challenges facing needy families. As a requirement of the federal Community Services Block Grant, the agency completes a service areawide survey every two years to determine the most pressing needs in the region. CAP officials said they now have a better understanding on how to meet those needs. "It's important that we have a system in place where we are able to gain information from the communities we serve," said Dave Leyland, executive director of CAP. "As we gain that information, we want to know what our communities' greatest issues for low-income populations are." CAP, which serves Andrew, Buchanan, Clinton and DeKalb counties, surveyed 608 low-income individuals, 358 community members and conducted 14 focus groups with clients and community members. The agency discussed issues associated with barriers toward self-sufficiency, said Melissa Leander, director of fund development of CAP. Of those surveyed, 89 percent reported the availability of jobs as their top employment issue. "We don't believe that this is the 'end-all' assessment, but we believe that this is a good sampling of the population that we serve and of the communities that we provide services to," Mr. Leyland said. "We are now in the process of utilizing this new data and developing our strategic planning process so we can build it into a grant writing or funding proposal." While CAP continues to review recent data, Mr. Leyland said administrators will focus on areas needing attention to provide better services to the community. He said the goal is to find resources most needed in the community. Kristin Hoppa can be reached at [email protected]. To see more of the St. Joseph News-Press or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.stjoenews-press.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]