In May, 2000 a coalition of partners came together to commission a countywide Resources and Needs Assessment for LaPorte County, Indiana. The coalition was comprised of the following partners:

· The United Way of LaPorte County
· The Unity Foundation of LaPorte County
· LaPorte Hospital and Health Services
· St. Anthony Memorial Hospital and Health Centers
· Duneland Health Council
· LaPorte County Healthy Communities Initiative

The purpose of the Resources and Needs Assessment is to gather information to identify the needs facing LaPorte County and the resources currently available to address those needs. The information gathered will enable the partners of this project to make appropriate decisions in their individual strategic planning and resource expenditures. It will also be made available to other major funders in LaPorte County for distribution decisions, as well as to service providers to aid them in planning and program development as well as when seeking financial support.

This project began in late May of 2000 and was completed in October of the same year. The research and information gathered in this report came from many local, regional and national sources of data. Research was also conducted to gather demographic information as well as to identify best practice models.

Introduction

The coalition partnership selected the consulting firm of Thomas P. Miller & Associates, Inc. (TPMA) to conduct this Resources and Needs Assessment. This assessment, as directed by the partnership, looked at ten separate community indicators. Those indicators included the following areas:

1. Health & Human Services (including homelessness and hunger, childcare issues, substance abuse treatment and care for the elderly and disabled)
2. Medical Care & Wellness (i.e., medical treatment as well as insurance, dental and optical care, and health education)
3. Transportation (i.e., all types of transportation that individuals and families need to live)
4. Arts & Culture (i.e., access to arts and cultural events, as well as arts education)
5. Recreation (i.e., public places and recreational opportunities for both children and adults)
6. Housing (including availability and costs of housing, whether owned, rented or temporary)
7. Education (including quality of education at all levels for children, teens and adults in schools as well as adult education and training)
8. Job Opportunities (i.e., jobs available, and whether those jobs pay a living wage)
9. Environment (including air, water, green space and the general cleanliness of the community)
10. Public Safety (including general safety issues like safe playgrounds and workplaces, as well as law enforcement, fire and emergency response services)

The process by which the consulting team gathered information and public input regarding these ten categories consisted of the following:

· Research into demographics and other statistics
· Benchmark study, comparing LaPorte County with four similar counties in four states
· Random telephone survey of 600 LaPorte County residents
· 115 completed written surveys
· Eight focus groups conducted throughout the county
· Stakeholder interviews with 27 community leaders
· Inventory of existing service