1. Upper Valley Needs Assessment Research Surveying Community Leaders
Joby Bernstein ’17
Wafaa Ahmed ‘17
Joby
This report was written by undergraduate students at Dartmouth College under the direction of professors in the Rockefeller Center. Policy Research Shop (PRS) students produce non-partisan policy analyses and present their findings in a non-advocacy manner. The PRS is fully endowed by the Dartmouth Class of 1964 through a class gift in celebration of its 50th Anniversary given to the Center. This endowment ensures that the Policy Research Shop will continue to produce high-quality, non-partisan policy research for policymakers in New Hampshire and Vermont.

2. Overview Meta-Analysis Survey Methodology Survey Results Conclusion
Joby

3. Meta-Analysis Findings
Employment Opportunities and Affordable Housing
High cost of living
Lack of public transportation
Poverty and graduation rates are unequally distributed
Healthcare
Disparities tied to income and employment
Key issues: substance abuse, mental health, affordable insurance
Billy

4. Meta-Analysis Findings
Education
Educational attainment varies dramatically by county
Implications for employment
Community Engagement
Opinions of the Upper Valley are positive overall
Rural residents more likely to report isolation from community
Billy

5. Survey Methodology Community Leader Census Distribution
Town Clerks Contact
Town Websites
Tax Filing Addresses
Includes all 69 towns in Upper Valley Service Area
Over 300 community leaders included
Distribution
Mail Survey (~70 responses)
Online Survey (~25 responses)
Telephone Survey (~20 responses)
Billy

6. PRS Survey Instrument 19 Question Survey Three Sections
Current Issue/Problem Assessment
Opinion on community and cooperation between towns
Opinion on Upper Valley and local non-profit organizations
115 Responses
Analyzed at individual and town level
Survey found on pages in the report
Billy

7. Survey Response Map Billy
Number of Responses from Each Town. Darker shades indicate a greater number of responses.

8. Survey Results Most Important Issues Facing Your Town Today
Joby
Question 15 from the PRS Survey

9. Survey Results Geographic Concentration of Needs Assessment
Lack of Jobs: Western UV towns in Vermont
Economic Development and lack of Infrastructure: Southern towns in UV
Affordable Housing: UV hub
Drug Addiction: Southern UV towns, mostly in Vermont
Transportation access: Vermont towns not bordering the river
73 percent of participants believed that that major issues in their town were similar to neighboring communities
56 percent agreed that these issues would be better addressed by coordinated efforts
Joby

10. Survey Results Coordinated Efforts in Upper Valley
What is currently being addressed well:
Billy
Well-Coordinated Efforts in the
Upper Valley. Based on Question 18 from the Survey.

11. Survey Results Community Assessment
Participants believed that citizens felt more connected to their own town than the Upper Valley
Participants felt that citizens could to more to create linkages between organizations and thought this would make the town better
Current effective cooperative relationships cited:
Emergency Services
Schools
Senior Care
Transportation
Billy

12. Survey Results Upper Valley Community Assessment
Participants felt that organizations generally served their town or that there wasn’t much outreach between organizations from other towns
Hub of the Upper Valley considered to be in Lebanon, Hanover, WRJ, and Hartford
Billy

13. Survey Results Upper Valley Community Assessment
2/3 of community leaders wanted to see greater cooperation across the Upper Valley
Billy
Based on Question 13 in the survey

14. Discussion
Comments at the end of survey allowed us to hear different opinions
Many focused on how non-profits tend to stick the hub towns, and many questioned if they were part of the UV community
Questioned ability to enact coordinated efforts in isolated towns on the borders of the UV
Billy

15. Conclusions Meta Analysis and PRS Instrument indicate similar findings
Variety of needs with focus on structural economic changes (i.e., taxes, economy, infrastructure), schools, and drugs
Joby
Coordinated efforts have been successful and are viewed favorably by community leaders
Discussion centered around differences between communities and isolation from the hub

16. Appendix Information Distributed Survey and Responses
Results Frequency Table
All Color Coded Maps can be accessed online
map/