community needs assessment overview

 A Community Lifelines Needs Assessment (CLNA) is a process conducted to identify and determine the available resources to address the unmet needs of the community’s most vulnerable populations.  The CLNA is used to implement programs and services used to improve or build capacity and capabilities and strengthen individual and community resilience. 

There are several reasons why citizen groups, public officials, and local government staff should secure accurate information about the needs of a community. All communities are in a continual state of change -- through births and deaths of citizens, through people moving out and new people moving in, and through the natural growth and development of the community over time. Consequently, what once may have been an appropriate policy or program can eventually become inappropriate. The character or attitude of a community can shift because of the interplay of social, cultural, and economic changes.

A community needs assessment process is an excellent means of involving the public in problem solving and developing local goals. There is a tendency for people to resist change, frequently because they have inadequate information, or because they have not been involved in making decisions. A needs assessment can be viewed as a process of citizen involvement to allow people not only to learn more about the current situation, but most importantly, to feel that they have had a voice in the outcome.

A needs assessment process can help local leaders: 

• Identify needs for new or expanded public facilities or services; 
• Assess public opinion about community goals and priorities; 
• Systematically evaluate existing programs and services and planning for improvements; 
• Provide justifications or explanations for budget and grant requests; 
• Increase citizen understanding of community problems and their effects on the community;
• Build an increased citizen support for local government decisions, and develop a greater "sense of ownership" through public involvement;
• Increase citizen awareness of community planning.