community_needs_assessment v1.0.0

name: community_needs_assessment description: Run a practical community needs assessment. Define the population, mix survey, interview, and existing data, build a service inventory, spot gaps between services and real need, rank gaps with a transparent score, and produce a findings report people can act on. Use when a nonprofit, health department, or community group must decide what to address first.

Community Needs Assessment

Purpose

Find which needs are most urgent, where services fall short, and what to do about it, in that order. The output is a ranked list of gaps with owners, a simple action order, and a way to check progress. The method uses mixed evidence, primary sources for facts, and transparent scoring.

Workflow

1. Define scope and population

• Write the geography and the groups in scope. Exclude anything you cannot reach or influence.
• Name the decision the assessment must support and the date the decision is due.

2. Inventory what exists

• Build a service inventory. For each service record who it covers, how many people it reaches, the hours, the eligibility rules, and any wait lists.
• Add community assets such as libraries, faith groups, schools, and mutual aid. The goal is a clear picture of strengths and gaps.

3. Collect evidence from at least two sources

• Secondary data first. Use official sources when available. Keep a source list.
• Primary data. Use surveys, interviews, and focus groups where the question needs lived experience.

Survey guidance.

• Use the sample size tool to aim for a valid base. Cochran at 95 percent confidence, 5 percent margin, p equals 0.5 gives 384 completes for a large population.
• Apply the finite population correction for small populations.
• Plan for nonresponse. Recruit above target. Mathematica recommends 5 to 25 percent more depending on active versus passive consent.
• Segment at the design stage. If you will slice by gender, age, or area, aim for about 50 responses per segment as a planning floor.

Interview and focus group guidance.

• Key informant interviews bring context and contacts.
• Focus groups use 6 to 10 participants per group as a practical range. Run enough groups to cover key segments. The rule for stopping is saturation, not a fixed count. Guest et al. 2006 is often cited as 12 interviews for saturation in homogeneous purposeful samples. Use it as a check, not a guarantee.

4. Measure the gaps

Use the provided tool to score each need.

Input columns: need, group, affected, severity 1 to 5, coverage_pct 0 to 100, community_priority 1 to 5.

Score components:

• severity_component equals severity divided by 5 times 40
• gap_component equals 100 minus coverage_pct divided by 100 times 30
• scale_component equals affected divided by the max affected in the file times 20
• community_component equals community_priority divided by 5 times 10
• score equals the sum of the four, 0 to 100
• unmet_people equals affected times 100 minus coverage_pct divided by 100

Score bands:

• 70 plus Priority 1 act now
• 50 to 69 Priority 2 plan and fund
• 30 to 49 Priority 3 partner or monitor
• under 30 Priority 4 note and review

5. Prioritize and decide next steps

Rank by score, then by unmet_people. Do not train or fund a fix until the cause is clear. For top gaps, pick one path: service expansion, access fix, process change, partnership, or a referral network, or a targeted survey for deeper diagnosis.

6. Write the report and get decisions

Deliver the short report below. Walk the group through it and get an explicit accept, modify, or reject per recommendation, with the reason recorded.

Output Contract

One report with these parts.

1. Summary. One paragraph on the gap, your top 3 priorities, estimated unmet people, and the decision needed.
2. Scope. Geography, groups, and the decision date.
3. Method. Sources used with dates and URLs, who was interviewed or surveyed, how many groups or interviews, and the sample plan.
4. Findings table. Columns: need, group, affected, coverage_pct, gap_pct, severity, community_priority, score, band, unmet_people.
5. Priorities. Top 5 rows plus what would change if the data moved.
6. Recommended next steps. Owner, timeline, and the metric that will show it worked.
7. Data appendix. Source list, survey instrument, and the scored CSV file output by the tool.

Operating Rules

• Never invent numbers. Label any figure with its source. Cut anything you cannot verify.
• Self reports alone do not prove a gap. Pair them with a service count, wait list, or a work sample.
• Report unknowns as unknowns. If a gap cannot be routed with the data, assign an owner and a date to finish the diagnosis.
• For regulated contexts, state the rule. Head Start 45 CFR 1302.11 requires a comprehensive assessment at least once over the five year grant period with annual updates for significant changes.
• Keep language plain. State findings as facts with sources and recommendations as decisions with owners.

Available connectors

• Use browser.spawn_task for current official data or updated guidance from CDC, NACCHO, or Head Start.
• Use muse.skill_search to find related skills.

Websites

• CDC community assessment handbook for data ideas. https://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/publications/cancer/nbccedp/pdf/trainpdfs/hb-commassess.pdf
• MAPP 2.0 outline and the 3 assessments. https://doh.wa.gov/data-and-statistical-reports/washington-state-health-assessment/mapp-20
• Head Start rule 1302.11 text. https://headstart.gov/policy/45-cfr-chap-xiii/1302-11-determining-community-strengths-needs-resources

Alternatives for better results

• If response is likely to be low, use an address or voucher pilot to raise the response rate instead of widening the margin.
• If the population is small, switch from a survey to key interviews plus a short census style checklist.
• Run one rapid block before a full assessment. A windshield or walking survey can test access and visibility early.