Every three years, STEP is required to gather a detailed picture of the needs and resources in their service area. A COVID-related survey was completed in 2020 to assess the rapidly evolving crisis. The regular study was last completed in 2018, so it is time to reach out to residents again as part of the Community Needs Assessment (CNA).
The customer survey portion of the CNA and the partner survey that reaches other social service agencies will be online-only for the first time. All surveys can be accessed at http://www.stepcorp.org/cna. The completed Community Needs Assessment will include survey data plus demographic information about Lycoming and Clinton counties.

“In order to make sure the customer survey reaches those who actually receive services, we are doing extensive outreach both with our own customers and through the hundreds of organizations we work with. We want the responses to reflect the makeup of our community so that we can hear directly from people what their needs are,” said Rachelle Abbott, STEP Chief Operations and Planning Officer. “With less than a month to go until we are planning to close the survey, we are currently below our target response numbers.”

In addition to the surveys, focus groups of community representatives, consisting of 8-12 individuals with extensive experience in their respective topics, will discuss subject areas in greater depth. The groups will meet virtually.

The completed Community Needs Assessment will be widely distributed in fall this year and used to shape programs, initiatives, and funding strategies for the partner agencies. An accurate, up-to-date Community Needs Assessment allows organizations to target programming toward concrete community needs and, in some cases, to discontinue programs not supported by the assessment’s findings.

“We are hopeful that Lycoming and Clinton county residents will hop on a smartphone or computer to make this process work,” said Jim Plankenhorn, STEP President & CEO. “Only by checking on the needs of the community can STEP and our partners deploy resources effectively and efficiently where they are needed most.”

Any questions about the Community Needs Assessment process can be directed to Jamey Williams at STEP, at jbwilliams@stepcorp.org or 570.601.9546.