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Description
MOBILE, Alabama, August 25, 2009 — The United Way of Southwest Alabama, the Junior League of Mobile, the Mobile Area Education Foundation and the Mobile County Commission are collaborating with the University of South Alabama Center for Healthy Communities on a Capacity Inventory project that will identify the most important community needs in the Mobile county area. The priorities identified through the inventory can then be used by area agencies to know what programs are being met as well as what needs should be addressed to ensure the health and well being of our community.
The project started with an in-depth online survey that asked participants to rank service areas that they would recommend as priorities. The survey was distributed to a cross-section of 46 civic and community leaders and utilized the Delphi Technique, a process for collecting and distilling information. “Delphi is used to overcome survey bias in environments where decision-making can be affected by strong and opposing preferences. It allows consensus to build through the decision-making process”, said Dr. Marjorie Icenogle, Chair of the USA Mitchell College of Business Department of Management, who directed the administration and analysis of the Delphi survey.
Results from the Delphi inquiry indicated that the most important issues affecting quality of life in Mobile are education – with early education and middle school considered as key periods for intervention- and the health and human services needs of children and youth.
The United Way of Southwest Alabama will use the data collected both to celebrate the community’s response to its neediest citizens and effectively guide the future allocation of resources for the greatest impact on our quality of life by cataloging and including programs that address those needs in the United Way 211 database. According to Angelo Miller, Executive Director for the United Way of South Alabama, the last similar study that United Way conducted was completed a decade ago. “Education and health are building blocks for a better life, and human services contribute to our overall quality of life. We look forward to using the information not only to allocate resources effectively, but to shape our strategic direction”, said Miller.
According to Jeremiah Newell, Director of Student Engagement for The Mobile Area Education Foundation, a non-profit that supports and advocates for educational improvements across the county, “The Foundation will use this information to promote the improved alignment of community and school district resources and to build more community support for schools. We anticipate that these efforts will help reduce the school drop-out rate in Mobile County.”
In the next phase of the project, community service organizations will be polled to see if they have programs that address the education, health and human services needs of children and youth. Organizations will also be asked if they have more need or demand than their current programs provide.
“The results of the Capacity Inventory will assist the Junior League of Mobile in further refining how our resources should be allocated, given our current focus in the areas of children and education. We feel it will bring about positive results for our community,” said Ann Sirmon, President of the Junior League of Mobile.
According to Dr. Martha Arrieta, Director of Research for the USA Center for Healthy Communities, the next step of the project is crucial to defining current service capacity in the Mobile area. “We have already contacted via e-mail close to eighty agencies identified as providing services in the areas of education, health and human services for children and youth. Agencies have been asked to respond to a survey to define the services they provide, the number of clients they serve, the areas where demand is being met, and services they could provide with additional resources” said Arrieta.
Organizations which have not received a survey but have programs that address education, health and human services needs of children and youth are encouraged to send an email request to be included in the Capacity Inventory to healthycommunities@mchsi.com by Monday, September 7.
About United Way of Southwest Alabama
United Way plays an integral role in the quality of life of Southwest Alabama residents. More than 125,000 local people are helped each year by United Way, its 58 community partner agencies and United Way 2-1-1.
Through a partnership of volunteers, donors, business leaders and service providers, United Way strengthens the capacity of our community by advancing the common good. For more information about United Way of Southwest Alabama, call 251-433-3624 or visit www.uwswa.org.
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