A community health assessment of a culturally diverse housing project in St. Paul

A comprehensive community needs assessment was recently completed at Skyline Towers, a culturally diverse housing project in St. Paul. Eighty-one randomly selected residents were interviewed over a one-month period. This article outlines the process of conducting the assessment and describes the results from the health care and demographic sections of the survey. The assessment showed that two-thirds of the building residents were born outside the United States and that the Somali population in particular faces linguistic, financial, and cultural barriers that limit their access to health care.