1 Deanna Zachary Working group: Constructing Indicators of Progress/ Well-being with Citizens/Communities July, 2008 San Jose Office 991 West Hedding, Suite 102 San Jose, CA USA (408) Watsonville Office P.O. Box 1927 Watsonville, CA USA (831) Data Collection: Involving Citizens

2 Who is ASR? Non-profit social research organization, 25+ years experience Dedicated to helping people build better communities through better information Research activities include: Community assessments: Santa Cruz CAP won innovation award last year at CIC Evaluations Strategic planning Citizen involvement with data collection/participatory research

3 Engaging Citizens in Community Indiciator Projects Technical Advisory Committees of citizens Telephone surveys of citizens Face-to-face surveys with citizens Peer to peer research: Homeless farmworkers, and youth

Case Study: Santa Cruz County Community Assessment Project

5 Santa Cruz CAP Project started in 1994 Report measures over 135 indicators in six areas: education, economy, health, public safety, natural environment, and the social environment Technical Advisory Committees with citizens/residents Telephone Surveys with 750 SCC residents in English and Spanish

Technical Advisory Committees 6 Comprised of members of the community who have a vested interest or are experts in the six domains (economy, education, health, public safety, social and natural environments) They attend meetings to identify quality of life indicators and data sources Technical Advisory Committee provides expert guidance Apprx.1,000 individuals in Santa Cruz County (3,000 in Truckee Meadows, Nevada)

7 Telephone Survey Questions Does your child’s school provide a safe place for learning? How often are you able to get help from family/friends to handle a family crisis or a parenting challenge? How safe do you feel in your neighborhood? Do you feel like you have opportunities to work? Have you felt discriminated against in the last 12 months? Do you eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day?

8 The Anchorage Community Assessment Project (CAP)

9 Face-to-Face Surveys Have you needed medical attention in the last year? Did you get it? How many times have you had five or more drinks within about two hours? How much of your total household take-home pay goes to rent and housing costs? Did you have to go without basic needs in the last 12 months (food, child care, health care, housing)? How much of a problem is domestic violence in Anchorage?

Homeless Reports 10 Homeless Reports

Homeless Census Trained homeless “guides” are paired with community volunteers or service providers. Homeless know where homeless are likely to be found. Homeless have local knowledge of street geography. 11

Homeless Surveys Trained homeless conduct interviews with other homeless on the street. Peer – to – Peer Interviewing increases rapport and therefore leads to quality data. Homeless interviewers use local and community knowledge to find homeless respondents. 12

Results in Los Angeles 2007 Showed 73,702 homeless individuals over the course of three days; Approx. 10,100 were children. Estimated 141,737 people expected to be homeless in LA over one year. 24% of the homeless were in families. Over 50% of survey resp. were African-American, 24% were Latino, and 19% Caucasian. Median age of 45 years old. 13

Survey - Disabling Conditions Approximately 74% of survey respondents self- reported experiencing at least one disabling condition. 14

15 Farmworker Reports

Washington Farmworkers One of the largest surveys in history, using the Promotores Model by training 140 farmworkers to survey other farmworkers 3,000 Farmworkers surveyed Quality of Life Survey: health, domestic violence, pesticide exposure, housing status (water quality, pests, plumbing, heating in the house), where they wanted to live (on the farm, in town). 16

Washington Farmworkers Two-thirds of respondents and their families lacked health insurance. 66% had not been to a doctor in the last year. 1 in 4 had never seen a dentist. 13% had been diagnosed with exposure to pesticides. 17

18 Case Study: Project CURB

Prevalence of Binge Drinking Percent of Youth Survey Respondents Who Had 5 or More Drinks in 2 Hours in the Past 12 Months 19

CURB Youth Survey 37% of youth respondents rode in a car with someone who was drinking and 30% had been drinking and driving themselves in the past year. Sexual consequences of drinking: 21% reported having unplanned sex as a result of drinking. 17% reported unprotected sex. 15% reported that they were taken advantage of sexually. 20

21 Citizen Engagement

22 Summary of Citizen Engagement Technical Advisory Committees of citizens Telephone surveys of citizens Face-to-face surveys with citizens Peer to peer research: Homeless farmworkers, and youth

Applied Survey Research Deanna Zachary Project Manager San Jose Office 991 West Hedding, Suite 102 San Jose, CA USA (408) Watsonville Office P.O. Box 1927 Watsonville, CA USA (831)