Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 2, 1993 TAG: 9312020113
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-17 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: New River Valley bureau
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The project, under the management of the New River Valley Planning District Commission, is a valleywide public-private cooperative endeavor which will survey a cross-section of residents.
Surveying begins this month, with data analysis to start in January. Surveys will be done by telephone, house-to-house and at the agency.
A final report on the survey and recommendations will be released in mid-1994.
Guided by a steering committee, the needs assessment is not intended to provide definitive answers to all the valley's health and human services problems. Instead, it is intended to help guide local organizations with their health and human services issues.
"The needs assessment will produce a good working platform for both public and private organizations to use in their work of identifying areas of needs both met and unmet," said Jim Wallis, chairman of the steering committee.
One goal of the assessment is to find out how many people have such problems. Experts from Virginia Tech, Radford University and health and human service agencies are advising on the technical aspects of the project.
The assessment is partially funded through a $15,000 grant from the state's Center on Rural Development. The grant was awarded based on its innovativeness and link to strengthening the regional work force. This will be the first time a human services needs assessment involving five civil jurisdictions and private agencies in rural Virginia has been done.
Local governments in the Fourth Planning District and the area's United Ways contributed the matching funds necessary to receive the state grant, bringing the project's total budget to $31,000.
For more information, call Holly Lesko, project manager, or Daria Dittmer at 639-9313.
by CNB