2008-2010 Funded Collaboration

Helping Children Succeed (HCS)

Family Education Collaborative (FEC)
Lead Agency: HomeFront

Collaborative Partners:
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
The Cherry Tree Club
Mercer County Library
Educational Testing Service

Hardcore Kids
Lead Agency: Catholic Charities of Trenton

Collaborative Partners:
Boys and Girls Club of Trenton and Mercer County
Henry J. Austin Medical Center
Capitol County Children's Collaborative

Trenton Leadership and Mentoring Program
Lead Agency: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer County (BBBS)

Collaborative Partners:
Princeton Center for Leadership Training (PCLT)
Leadership Trenton (LT)
Princeton-Blairstown Center (PBC)

TRIO (Teaming Resources for Innovative Opportunities)
Lead Agency: Better Beginnings Child Development Center

Collaborative Partners:
Community Action Service Center
Jewish Family and Children's Service of Greater Mercer County

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Fostering Self Sufficiency

Nutrition Alliance
Lead Agency: Mercer Street Friends

Collaborative Partners:
Community Action Service Center of Hightstown
The Crisis Ministry
HomeFront
Mt. Carmel Guild

Community of Services Collaboration
Lead Agency: Family Guidance Center Corporation

Collaborative Partners:
CONTACT of Mercer County
Court Appointed Special Services (CASA)
HomeFront
PEI Kids
Womanspace

Mercer County Latino Domestic Violence Initiative ("Prevention")
Lead Agency: Catholic Charities

Collaborative Partners:
Womanspace
Community Action Service Center of Hightstown

EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) and Asset Building Campaign
Lead Agency: Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness

Collaborative Partners:
Boys & Girls Club of Trenton
The Crisis Ministry of Trenton
John O. Wilson Hamilton Neighborhood Center

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Housing First Inititiative

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Caring for Seniors & People with Disabilities (CSPD)

Project Connect
Lead Agency: Mercer Street Friends

Collaborative Partners:
Catholic Charities
Enable
Interfaith Caregivers of Trenton
Jewish Family & Children's Service (JFCS)
Mobile Meals of Trenton/Ewing
Mount Carmel Guild
The ARC/Mercer

Partners in Caring
Lead Agency: Jewish Family & Children's Service

Collaborative Partners:
American Red Cross of Central NJ
CONTACT
Enable
Greater Mercer TMA Ride Provide
Princeton Senior Resource Center
RSVP (Retired Seniors Volunteer Program)

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Community Needs Assessment— Findings

United Way completed our year-long Community Needs Assessment in September 2006 with four Donor Focus Groups.  The process started last summer with extensive secondary research into four target impact areas: Helping Children Succeed, Fostering Self-Sufficiency, Caring for Seniors and People with Disabilities, and Accessing Healthcare. Staff and volunteers reviewed the literature for evidence based best practices and gathered demographic data on Mercer County.  During February and March 2006 we distributed over 3,000 surveys to the community and received 350 responses. This primary research data was then analyzed and integrated with the secondary research data to produce an initial list of our community’s most pressing needs and possible solutions.

Staff and volunteers then began the process of prioritizing the needs and formulating questions to ask our Community Focus Groups, which were held in Trenton, Hamilton, Lawrence, and Hightstown. The comments received in these groups corroborated the findings from our research and helped us to focus on those issues that were most important to Mercer residents. We then held four “Key Informant” Focus Groups, one for each impact area, with leaders and experts from our community in each area. Once again our findings were validated, and key informant responses helped us to narrow our focus even further.

Based on these initial four assessment steps, staff and volunteers developed three “Vision Statements,” one each for Helping Children Succeed, Fostering Self-Sufficiency, and Caring for Seniors and People with Disabilities. It was decided to address some of the issues of Accessing Healthcare under the other three impact areas. In addition, we are recommending that issues that cannot be addressed through our grant process be addressed through “advocacy strategies” under each of the four impact areas. This will broaden our reach in using UWGMC resources other than funding throughout the next grant cycle. The full Resource Investment Plan will be presented to the UWGMC Board for approval in November 2006.

Staff and volunteers will recommend the following three “Visions,” as well as several Advocacy Strategies. Under Fostering Self-Sufficiency, our vision is “Increased economic opportunity, stability and self-sufficiency for all Mercer County residents, especially indigent and low-income families and individuals and non-English speaking populations.” Under Helping Children Succeed, we envision that “All children and youth reach their fullest potential in a safe and nurturing environment.” Under Caring for Seniors and People with Disabilities, the vision is for “All seniors and people with disabilities to be able to age in place with dignity.”

The final step in our assessment process was to present this draft plan to our donors in four additional focus groups. Once again we received validation that we are on the right track in focusing on these visions and advocacy strategies. If there was one clear message that we heard throughout this process, it is that people want UWGMC to be more active, vocal and visible in bringing the community together, fostering collaborations and coordination of services, and holding agencies accountable. People want to see UWGMC taking a leadership role in our community by partnering, leveraging resources, and measuring results.

The Resource Investment Planning group of staff and volunteers are putting the final touches on the resource investment plan that will be presented to the Board and culminate in a Request for Proposals (RFP) in January 2007 for funding to start in January 2008. Based on community feedback, we will be recommending that our next grant process focus solely on collaborations, as opposed to individual program grants. The RFP will be posted on our website, www.uwgmc.org, at the end of January. For more information, please contact Pat Cacacie, VP, Resource Investment, at Patrick.cacacie@uwgmc.org.

Click on the links below to read about the needs assessment.

1. Executive Summary
2. Secondary Research Summary
3. Summary of Focus Groups
4. Assessment Process Conclusions
5. Attachments
   1. Primary Research Findings fromAssessment Survey
   2. Resource Investment Funding Plan andAdvocacy Strategies
   3. Funding Philosophy (including definition of “Collaboration”)
   4. Plan for Three “Vision Councils” toCreate Community Impact

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