Community Impact Report

Understanding Our Community

GIFT VII planning grants supported a comprehensive planning process. This allowed the Community Foundation Alliance to utilize these grant dollars to contract with Chmura to collect and compile data, and Thomas P. Miller & Associates (TPMA) to lead the planning process.


For this process, the nine-county affiliates were grouped based on geographic proximity, as well as factors such as the overlap of industry and services, common time zones, and work travel patterns. Learn more about Region B which includes Gibson, Posey, Vanderburgh, and Warrick counties.

Key Development Indicators

For each subregion, Chmura identified 46 meaningful development indicators, conforming to four primary categories.

Demographics

Economics

Human Capital

Quality of Place

Determining Top Priorities

TPMA reviewed all data collected by Chmura, analyzed additional data, and explored basic demographic trends for each county using information from the U.S. Census Bureau.


TPMA then identified five potential priority areas of need and opportunity for each subregion, to be further prioritized through a series of Community Forums that helped identify the county specific issues and opportunities

Access and Affordable Healthcare

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    Ethnic disparities in poverty, lack of health insurance coverage, and unemployment are primary socioeconomic determinants for poor health outcomes


    Access can be transportation, health coverage and can also include communication



    Warrick County has concerning cancer rates - specifically breast cancer and prostate cancer

Cycle of Poverty

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    Cycle of poverty that occurs in succesive generations

    • Financial Capital
    • Education
    • Connections

    In Vanderburgh housing also impacts the cycle of poverty

    • Support and expand first-time and low-income homebuyer programs
    • Preserve and improve existing housing

Family Self Sufficiency

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    Increase inancial stability for families by addressing

    1. The immediate crisis needs
    2. Provide long-term solutions through educational programs in financial literacy
    • Budgeting
    • Savings
    • Banking
    • Access to non-predatory financial assistance services

Mental Health & Substance Abuse

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    Regionally

    • Struggle to access care
    • Cost for treatment is a barrier
    • Shortage of Mental Health providers
    • Alcohol, opioid, and meth abuse or dependancy

    Needs

    • Drug addicts have unmet healthcare needs because mental health issues are not addressed
    • Mental Health Care providers are strained
    • Need for more addiction counselors

    Other Considerations

    • Good employment opportunities play a rote in helping people with substance use disorder seek help they need
    • There is also a need for Primary Care Physicians

Obesity

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    Subregions focused on:

    • Identify programs to motivate residents to become more physically active
    • Identify programs to educate residents about nutrition to help motivate change in nutritional behavior
    • Consider food environment and access to exercise opportunities

Community Forums

Structure

The Community Leader Forums began the process of narrowing to a single topic area that would be addressed in the Lilly Endowment GIFT VII Implementation Grant proposal. Forum participants included local leaders of nonprofit organizations, municipal and elected officials, business and industry leaders, and active community philanthropists. Forums were conducted with an initial overview of the background research and an explanation of how the top five topics were chosen. In addition, participants added the following topics: 


  • Broadband
  • Child Abuse & Neglect
  • Connectivity/Transportation
  • Education
  • Housing
  • Prevention
  • Workforce Development


Participants prioritized topics and held active discussions about what they have observed about the specific topic. Upon completion, TPMA facilitated Regional Board Forums for each subregion to further narrow the topics. These forums followed a similar process to ensure consistency.

Forum Findings

Cycle of Poverty

Mental Health & Substance Abuse

During the forums, several areas of improvement were documented. With regards to Mental Health & Substance Abuse, concerns highlighted were: lack of accessible services and care, easy access to prescription meds, and lack of education targeting prevention. With regards to The Cycle of Poverty, a few key concerns were discussed: affordable quality housing, transportation, and awareness of services.

Leading Change

Overview

Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Community Leadership Implementation Grant Opportunity in Vanderburgh County will pilot a program for service coordination using a “place-conscious” strategy which capitalizes on neighborhood strengths to support families through wrap-around services. Place-conscious strategies support families by expanding their opportunities within the partnering neighborhoods and connecting them to regional and local opportunities.


The goal of the pilot project is two-fold. First, support direct services for individuals and families that are striving to improve their financial well-being. Second, while testing this intervention, data will be gathered to further inform effective strategies for inclusion in a community-wide collective impact model addressing poverty. The pilot project will support wrap-around service coordination in Promise Zone neighborhoods over a two-year period. The Family Service Coordinators will be hosted by a nonprofit agency with an established and credible working relationship with the residents of the identified neighborhoods.

Implementation Grant Recipients


Dream Center Evansville

Memorial Community Development Corporation

Potter’s Wheel. 

Collaborating Organizations


COVID-19 Crisis Response Fund of the Greater Evansville Region

Diehl Consulting Group

Evansville Regional Economic Partnership - Talent  2025

United Way of Southwestern Indiana

 Vanderburgh Community Foundation

Activity Update

  • March 2023

    During the previous six-month reporting period, Providing Access to Hope and Success (PATHS) partner organizations integrated wrap-around case management services into their youth programming. As a result, it identified systemic problems that affect family retention. As of February 28, 2023, 217 individuals have enrolled in the PATHS Program, with 162 remaining enrolled at the end of this period. Client primary needs were assessed using the Foellinger Independence Continuum tool, with income, childcare, employment, transportation, housing, and support systems being the top five needs.


    Records show 84% of referrals resulted in the primary needs being completely met. In addition, recent data analysis indicates that 76% of participants improved their level of independence, with 100% making progress toward their goals and 50% fully accomplishing them.

  • September 2022

    Over the last six months, Providing Access to Hope and Success (PATHS) Program activities have focused on continuing to identify new clients for the program and working with those who have engaged with services. The Family Service Coordinators (FSCs) and Leadership Team continue to meet every two weeks to discuss program implementation. 


    As of August 31, 2022, one hundred twenty-two individuals have enrolled in the PATHS Program, with eighty-five remaining enrolled at the end of this period. As part of our data collection, the Foellinger Independence Continuum is utilized to assess a client’s primary needs. This tool is revisited every six months to document a client’s progress. The primary needs expressed by new clients are:


    • Income: 82% earn less than 150% of the poverty level (based on the 2022 Federal Poverty Guidelines). The average household income for participants when starting services is $16,014. 
    • Employment: 60% are either unemployed, employed in a temporary or seasonal job, or currently seeking employment.
    • Transportation: 49% have no transportation or their transportation is unsafe or not consistently available.
    • Childcare: 48% have no childcare or their childcare is unreliable, unsafe, or unaffordable.
    • Housing: 46% are homeless, living in unstable housing, or living in temporary/transitional housing.

    Records reviewed for referrals to other programs or services indicate 42% of referrals resulted in services being provided to the client (with an additional 10% pending further follow-up). Additionally, 37% resulted in the client’s primary need being completely met. These findings suggest that FSCs have been able to connect clients to providers and resources, thereby meeting immediate needs while working toward longer-term goals.


    The most recent data analysis for the program indicates 72% of participants with a six-month assessment on file improved their level of independence. Of the clients no longer enrolled in the program, over 70% reached a level of self-sufficiency where they no longer needed the program’s services. While PATHS is an ongoing pilot project, the leadership is excited to see positive changes occurring for the program participants.

  • March 2022

    For the past six months, program activities have focused on recruiting new clients for the program and working with those who have engaged with services. The Family Service Coordinators (FSCs) and Leadership Team continue to meet every two weeks to discuss program implementation. During the fall of 2021, numerous partner agency staff participated in a wrap-around case management work group hosted by leaders of the Talent 2025 initiative. Talent 2025 focuses on addressing many areas of social concern and economic growth for Southwest Indiana. The PATHS Project is recognized by Talent 2025 and other community leaders as the leading strategy for addressing poverty in Evansville. 


    As of February 28, 2022, 74 individuals have been enrolled into the PATHS.  Over 85% of the participants were retained for six months or have enrolled in the program more recently.  Records review for referrals to other programs or services indicate 48% of referrals resulted in services being provided to the client (with an additional 30% pending further follow-up). Additionally, 44% resulted in the client’s primary need being completely met. These findings suggest that FSCs have been able to connect clients to providers and resources thereby meeting immediate needs while working toward the longer-term outcomes outlined above.


    Specifically, it is encouraging to note that FSC and client contacts exceed 1,000, and that more than 100 referrals to community supports have been recorded in the system. These totals illustrate the needs that the PATHS Program is addressing in the community. The magnitude of these needs, however, is perhaps best explained by baseline ratings. Specifically when entering the program, 79% of program participants were rated as either in-crisis or at-risk on the income domain, and 59% were rated as in-crisis or at-risk on the employment domain. While a greater percentage of clients were safe, stable, or thriving on the other domains, the collective Independence Continuum ratings highlight the need for FSCs to walk with clients through resolution of immediate needs in the early stages of their relationships.

  • September 2021

    During the initial nine months of this project, the Core Planning Group focused on program planning.  A project logic model and evaluation strategies were developed along with a position description for the Family Service Coordinators (FSC).


    As of September 1, 2021, twenty-one individuals have participated in the PATHS service at two of the partner sites. Initial data for the project indicates 83% of individuals contacted have resulted in services being provided by the FSC. In addition, 67% of participants indicated their initial need for services has been completely resolved. Primary needs identified by program participants include childcare vouchers (19%), child care options (10%), job opportunities (19%), transportation (14%), affordable housing (10%), and health care or mental health services (10%).  

  • March 2021

    Training of the FSCs was completed during the first part of April 2021. Other outcomes from the training included selection of the program name, Paving Access to Hope and Success (PATHS) Project, and establishing relationships among the staff at each agency to support ongoing collaboration. Once the training concluded, the FSC staff began working at their agencies and recruiting participants for the program. The FSCs and Leadership Team continue to meet every two weeks to discuss program implementation.