Hennepin South Services Collaborative

Question
The Hennepin South Services Collaborative (HSSC) wanted updated information on the subregion’s population, service needs, and existing services.  The Improve Group was hired by HSSC to conduct a comprehensive demographic study and needs assessment of community members in four Hennepin County suburbs. HSSC planned to use the detailed assessment of community needs and service priorities for future program planning. They wanted to rely on both universal data (such as census and tax revenue data) and qualitative community data in their planning.

Process
The Improve Group’s research activities included analysis of data from the Census and other public sources, and a human and social services needs analysis conducted by collecting feedback from nearly 200 community residents and employees through stakeholder workshops and community member focus groups. The project highlights The Improve Group’s ability to reach multiple populations and to deliver culturally competent focus groups. Focus groups were conducted in English, Spanish and Somali. The results were compiled in a report to be used in future service planning.

Outcome
The Improve Group identified and quantified complex individualized outcomes and successfully communicated them to several constituencies. The report informed HSSC’s strategic plan and guided their collaborative and human service activities for the next two years.