CUED

Roseland:
Needs Assessment and Organizational Infrastructure, an Introduction

The study of Roseland had two basic components:

1. An assessment of needs and resources. This component was designed to determine the most pressing needs in Roseland as well as the community's potential for revitalization.

2. An analysis of organizational resources. This was done to determine the availability of local organizations and other actors engaged in efforts aimed at the improvement of local conditions in Roseland.

The following instruments were used to gather information:

1. Background information on Roseland was collected to determine the socio-economic characteristics of Roseland and to identify objective needs. For this purpose, census data and other statistical information were used and newspaper clippings and reports on Roseland were consulted along with other available information.

2. A phone survey of Roseland residents was conducted as a class project by graduate students at the School of Urban Planning and Policy of the University of Illinois at Chicago. Students selected a random sample of Roseland residents and were able to complete 115 interviews. The purpose of this survey was to determine needs perception, to get ideas about ways to solve those needs and to identify people's perception about what agency(ies) or parties was(were) best suited to solve them. A written questionnaire was designed for this survey and answers were recorded for each interview.

3. Personal interviews with representatives of community-based organizations, field offices of federal, city and other agencies, private business sector, religious and political organizations were also conducted. From an original list of 16 organizations and three more that were suggested by interviewees, we were able to complete 15 interviews; three organizations could not be contacted because they no longer existed. At a fourth organization, the required approvals took too long for us to conduct the interview. Our initial list was developed from directories of community organizations, the phone book and from references of other organizations in the area. This survey was used to identify services provided, to determine the organizational structure of the area and to get a feeling for their potential vis a vis the project.

This report summarizes the major findings of CUED's study into two titles, Needs Assessment and Organizational Infrastructure, followed by a conclusion. More detailed accounts of results are included as appendices A, D, and E.

This website is maintained by Cedric Williams, Manager System Services,
UIC-Center for Urban Economic Development