Assessment of a Newark neighborhood: process and outcomes

In 1996, the members of the St. Columba Collaboration conducted a grassroots neighborhood assessment of a Hispanic area in Newark, New Jersey. This assessment was undertaken during an era of significant political and policy change in New Jersey. As a community-driven and implemented effort, the processes, methods, and outcomes of this assessment provide lessons on community activism, political awareness, and strategic planning. Quantitative surveys were distributed to local residents as well as users of the various services provided through Collaboration programs. Ten qualitative focus groups were held among various Collaboration groups. A total of 471 surveys were returned from a door-to-door distribution and 295 surveys were returned from users of Collaboration programs. Findings from both the quantitative and qualitative components were surprisingly similar. It was striking to note that youth violence, domestic violence, crime, and lack of job skills surpassed poor housing and chronic health problems, including HIV/AIDS and drug and alcohol addiction, as the most noted neighborhood problems. Overwhelmingly, social, welfare, and environmental issues were identified as priority items in a neighborhood marked by extreme poverty, poor childhood immunization rates, high HIV/AIDS rates, and high incidence of childhood asthma. Focus group findings revealed that stressful daily life events and circumstances far overshadowed health and wellness concerns. Recommendations emanating from the St. Columba Neighborhood needs assessment included: (a) establishment of principled partnerships between the Collaboration and other regional entities to extend capacity to design and implement solutions (e.g., partnerships with other higher education institutions, health care agencies); (b) development of strategic planning processes and procedures within the Collaboration; (c) establishment of collaborative partnerships with other Hispanic community-based organizations for political activism; and (d) reorganization of the Collaboration's internal structure and functions to capitalize on opportunities for change. Significant outcomes from this process, in evidence 4 years after the 1996 neighborhood assessment, include: (a) a successful grant application to study violence against Hispanic women, (b) a research program investigating the nature and extent of clinical depression among Hispanic women, (c) establishment of a teenage pregnancy program, (d) English classes for Hispanic women seeking language skills and eventual employment, and (e) partnership extended to the New Jersey Institute of Technology.