Assessing the Needs of Urban American Indians in North Texas: A Community-Based Participatory Research Project

This article discusses a community-based participatory research project with university researchers, an urban inter-tribal center, and other community partners to develop, administer, and deliver a community needs assessment of an urban American Indian (AI) community. In the development process, community focus groups identified major domains of inquiry for a needs assessment survey: mental health and substance abuse, medical care, and social services, including cultural programming. Results are presented and discussed in each domain. Overall, this community needs assessment contributes to a better understanding of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) urban challenges by providing information about the AI/AN population in a large southwest metropolitan area. Specifically, it highlights the relevance of local and state contexts for understanding issues facing AI/AN populations. A growing body of research indicates that AI/AN populations demonstrate some similar challenges in terms of health, social service needs, and mental health and substance abuse needs due to shared histories of colonization and misguided or underfunded government programs, among other factors. It remains true that AI/AN communities nonetheless are each distinctive and face unique challenges and opportunities within the local, state, and regional contexts in which they reside. The process described in this paper will inform policy, practice, and research communities interested in understanding the unique realities of an urban community representing many different AI tribes.