The Washtenaw County Community Needs Assessment presents data for a
total of 54 indicators (including 13 placeholders for which data
isnt available) that met the Washtenaw County Community Needs
Assessment Committees criteria for inclusion in the report. In addition
we surveyed three groups of people to determine their
perceptions of the major issues and adequacy of resources to address those
issues. This included two groups of county residents (one
telephone survey and one written survey), and one group of community and
nonprofit leaders. Not every indicator documented has
perception data (see page 13 for more detail about these surveys and their
results). This executive summary highlights key findings in
five areas: community and economic development; education; health;
environment; and community connections.
Looking across the indicator data raises the issues of regional
equality. While some county-wide data shows improvement over time, data
for areas within our county often highlights significant
disparities among cities and townships and between individuals from
different races. Hopefully knowing what these disparities are
will help community leaders and residents address them as a county. Other
community indicator efforts around the country encourage
leaders and residents to own and address issues regionally. There is a
risk of local level data being used to divide a region or
county.
It is also very important to remember that the indicator data
presented here portrays only a partial picture of community life. Every
community in this county has a wealth of assets to contribute.
These include: multicultural richness and diversity, youth leaders with
time energy and talent, strong kinship and neighborhood
networks, to mention a few.
In Washtenaw County multiple collaborations are engaged in developing
and implementing creative and innovative solutions for a wide range
of issues. Major assets in this county identified by community
leaders included our universities, green space and parks,
nonprofits, intellectual capital, and concerned, involved
residents. Clearly, there is a base for working toward solving county-wide
issues and improving the quality of life for everyone in
Washtenaw County.
Data can be interpreted in many ways. We hope that this report
stimulates fruitful discussion among residents and community leaders from
all the sectors in this county who are working to make a
difference. Hopefully, having indicator and perception data together in
one place will facilitate the types of collaborative and
integrative solutions across issue areas that some groups have already
begun to develop. It can point to additional data we need to
start collecting and areas where indicator data and peoples perceptions
of issues differ. Funders can work together to support work
that is already making a difference, in addition to addressing new areas
of concern.
Over time, trends are moving in positive directions for eleven
indicators (i.e., towards a desirable outcome) and in a negative
direction (away from a desirable outcome) for eleven
indicators. There is no change in the data for four other indicators. This
does not mean that these are not important issues that need
to be addressed; it simply means that there is no real movement in any
direction. The direction of change is undetermined for eight
indicators where there is current data but no previous data. Mixed trends
exist for seven indicators (i.e, trends are moving in
different directions for people living in various parts of the county or
for different racial groups). These indicators highlight the
disparities that exist within our county and among our cities,
villages, and townships. This report tracks data over time for key
indicators with the intent of measuring progress locally.
While indicators cannot tell the whole story about the quality of life in
our community, they do point to areas that are:
1. major issues of concern;
2. issue areas where findings demonstrate systematic inequities
among residents;
3. assets, such as collaborative efforts and partnerships to be
built upon; and
4. progress to be celebrated!
Community Collaborative
