Southern Indiana groups extend needs assessment deadline

Published in the News and Tribune on May 5, 2020
By: John Boyle

Original Story Link: https://www.newsandtribune.com/news/southern-indiana-groups-extend-needs-assessment-deadline/article_3231d3f2-8f23-11ea-b21f-8f289b617b91.html

Gathering useful community input from the public at large can be a mountain of a task for an organization, even in normal times.

Throw a pandemic into the mix, and it becomes that much harder. Earlier this year, the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana and Indiana University Southeast teamed up to administer the “Priorities for Progress” survey.

The purpose of initiative was to get a feel for how residents of Clark and Floyd counties feel about their social circumstances and the towns and cities in which they live. All information gathered was set to replace data acquired through a previous survey in 2015.

The process launched in February, with data set to be collected through March. Making sure things would not run smoothly this time around was the coronavirus.

“We’re actually less than halfway than where we want to be,” said Melissa Fry, director of the Applied Research and Education Center at IUS, of the response so far. “We have only 300, and we want 600. I thought we’d have a higher response rate this year.”

When the survey was conducted five years ago, 600 responses were given. The information included in those results helped CFSI and IUS, along with other nonprofits in the area, to identify which philanthropic areas are in need of attention.

In 2015, things like housing affordability, mental health services and substance abuse were highlighted. The report that was subsequently generated helped show ways the community could be improved in the years that followed.

CFSI Director of Philanthropy Crystal Gunther said that this year’s survey would be much more thorough than the one done in 2015, potentially leading to more benefits for area communities.

“This was something that had never been done before, specifically for our two counties,” she said. “There’s been education, health and arts and culture separately, but nothing that was truly comprehensive. This report is truly reflective in a very comprehensive way, not only in data, but also in getting a feel for what the community thinks our priorities should be and how have things staged over five years.”

That’s why Gunther and the rest of the CFSI team are ready for a renewed push. The first wave of emails about the survey were sent out right as news of the coronavirus took over.

Inboxes became flooded with messages related to the disease from countless companies, meaning information about the survey often got lost in the mix.

Kenton Wooden, director of Community Outreach at CFSI, said that he hopes another 500 survey responses can be gathered in the coming weeks. Responses will be accepted into June.

“It’s really important for us as a community leader that we have a really accurate picture of what the needs are here,” he said. “That’s where we’re able to find out where we need to put our funds. This is a great opportunity for us to step up and see what those needs are so we can do something about it.”

Moving forward, the group will still keep the online survey link live. Physical copies will be placed in libraries and large places of work. An updated social media and email push will also be sent out.

Fry said it will be interesting to see how responses differ between before and after the pandemic. The team will be paying attention to responses detailing weaknesses in the social infrastructure when a crisis arises.

“I think broadband internet is one,” Fry said. “The need to have that access has been more apparent than ever before. I’m a professor, and I’ve been working with students who are sitting in parking lots to get their assignments done because they don’t have access at home. Those kinds of issues are certainly going to get more attention. You can’t do telehealth if you don’t have the abilty to connect. That set of structures is important whether we have a pandemic or not. If you don’t have an infrastructure, you can’t build on it.”

CFSI President and CEO Linda Speed added that she wants to hear from as many Hoosiers as possible. Though COVID-19 is at the forefront of many minds right now, the survey will give respondents the ability to comment on a broad range of issues that have evolved over the past five years.

“This feedback is critical as a resource for everyone to use,” Speed said. “We can’t do that without a robust response. The pandemic has affected our ability to get that response. We need to get across the finish line. It does make a difference to have current information. While there are no specific questions related to the coronavirus, there are lots of opportunity for people to share their thoughts on how it has affected them.”