IDAs and CAAs: A Natural Partnership
A Technical Assistance Document for Community Action Agencies Operating Individual Development Account Programs
In this Chapter we will list each of the IDA Program components, describe them, show survey results illustrating how CAAs are carrying each out, and share some best practices. Most IDA Programs contain the following basic components:
- Recruitment
- Orientation
- Application
- Assessment
- Savings Plan Agreement
- Financial Education
- The IDAs
- Case Management
- Asset-Specific Training/Savings Clubs
- Asset Purchase
- Post-Purchase Follow-Up and Support
- Data Collection
- Evaluation ROMA
In the Appendix you will find a flow chart that shows the progression of these various program components.
Recruitment
CAAs have years of experience and a wealth of existing clients to draw upon for their IDA Program. The IDA Program requires trust and a large commitment on the part of the Participant. The trust that you have already established with existing clients is a solid foundation.
One thing to keep in mind is that it is not always as easy to recruit for an IDA Program as you might expect. We are asking individuals and families to commit to changing behavior and to participate in a multi-year Program. Not everyone is ready to make this commitment...and not everyone is ready now. The most successful IDA Participants are usually those who are not currently in a crisis situation, who have achieved some stability in their lives and are ready to take that next step towards financial independence. Also, just because someone is not ready to become an IDA Participant right now, doesn't mean that they won't be ready in a year or two. CAAs have the ability to continue to work with individuals and families to help them address the issues that they need to, so that in the not-too-distant future they can be good candidates for the IDA program.
Marketing and recruiting through your existing programs is an especially effective way to recruit for your IDA program. Another good way is through income tax preparation sessions and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) outreach programs that your agency offers. All agencies operating IDA Programs should consider offering a tax preparation program to assist low-income individuals in filing for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). These programs complement an IDA Program and are very useful in recruiting for the program. Also, most programs allow Participants to put part of their EITC into their IDA.
How to Recruit for Your IDA Program
We asked the following question in our survey: "What creative ways have you used to successfully recruit Account Holders for your IDA Program?" The Table below lists the answers we received.
"The best recruitment is word of mouth from successful IDA Participants." |
The Broward County Community Action Agency in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, recruits by showing potential Participants how they can save money by not using check cashing stores. They explain to applicants that when they open an IDA they will be able to cash their checks for free at the bank. Then they can put the former check cashing fee into their IDA. |
Referrals
Referrals from within your agency and from other agencies can provide many potential IDA Participants for your program. Some agencies find it helpful to hold informational sessions for case managers at their agencies and at other agencies where there is a potential for referrals.
We asked our survey respondents the following question: "Do you receive referrals for your program?" 106 responded "Yes," and 10 responded "No." We then asked: "If you receive referrals, please select the three types of organizations that give you the most referrals."
The main referral sources for CAA IDA Programs are from within the CAA itself. Survey respondents named virtually all programs operated by CAAs as referral sources for their IDA Programs. The CAA programs that most often refer potential IDA Participants are:
- Head Start
- Affordable Housing Program
- Employment and Training Program
- Energy Assistance
The following Table lists other types of organizations that refer applicants to IDA Programs. The organizations are listed in descending order of frequency.
|
The United Way of Connecticut, through its 211 system, keeps an updated listing of all IDA Programs in the state, including each Program's eligibility requirements, geographic area served, and number of available slots. 211 Case Workers have been trained to identify callers who would be appropriate for IDA Programs. |
Orientation
IDA Programs offer an exceptional opportunity for program Participants. They also require a great deal of commitment by Participants: regular attendance at Financial Education classes; continued attendance at Asset-Specific training and case management sessions; a commitment to a Savings Plan; and, often, a willingness to change behaviors. The Orientation Session is an opportunity for the IDA Program staff to make all these things clear to potential program Participants. The Orientation Session should cover the basic principles of the IDA Program and the application process to become part of the program. It should also spell out in detail the responsibilities and commitment that the Participant will have to undertake.
Orientation sessions should be held at times that are convenient for the individuals targeted for recruitment. Agencies have found it helpful to provide childcare services to make it easier for parents to attend the Orientation Sessions.
In addition to holding Orientation Sessions at the agency's facilities, some Program Operators have offered Orientation Sessions at other sites in the community.
Application
Program staff will usually ask those interested in joining the IDA program to fill out an application from. The application form should be a vehicle to gather the information needed to determine financial eligibility for the program and to collect demographic data. All applications should be kept on file. That way, individuals who have applied for acceptance into the program can, if the program is currently full, be considered for acceptance in the future if slots become available.
Assessment
IDA Program staff often hold an individual interview with applicants
to determine their financial eligibility and appropriateness for the
program.
Not everyone who is financially eligible is right for an IDA Program.
For instance, a family might be financially eligible but currently
in a crisis mode. It might be better to work with the family to resolve
the immediate crisis issues, after which they will be better equipped
and more likely to succeed in the IDA Program.
Here are some suggested guidelines for assessing Applicants' suitability for the Program:
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Some questions you might want to consider to determine if an applicant is ready for entry into the IDA Program are:
- Does the applicant have a savings and/or checking account?
- Does the applicant save regularly?
- Does the applicant have long-term goals?
- Does the applicant's family share her/his goals?
- Has the applicant ever been in a long-term program (one year or more)?
- How successful were they in this program?
- What difficulties will there be for the applicant to adhere to the terms of the Savings Plan Agreement (making regular savings deposits, attending financial classes, attending Asset-Specific training)?
- How will she/he overcome these difficulties?
- How would you rate the applicant's motivation (high, medium, or low)?
- Is the entire family knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the IDA Program?
- Has the applicant been in any other agency program?
- What was their experience in that program?
The Northwest Michigan Human Services Agency (NMHSA) has developed a tool to help screen potential IDA Participants at their program site. NMHSA is a Regional Coordinating Organization and IDA program site in the Michigan IDA Partnership (MIDAP). According to Susan Lindson, Program Coordinator of MIDAP, NMHSA's assessment process is as follows: After a potential Participant completes and returns an application, IDA program staff and the IDA Advisory Committee review the application and use the IDA Application Evaluation Form to score the application. Each application is read by two people and forms are filled out independently. A good application usually scores a total of 7 - 8. The applicants who score high are invited in to interview with two members of the IDA Advisory Committee and staff. The Personal Interview provides the interviewers a chance to meet the applicant and learn more about them. The IDA program is also explained in more detail at this time. A Personal Interview questionnaire is used when interviewing candidates. In the Appendix you will find a reproduced copy of the IDA Application Evaluation Form and the Personal Interview questionnaire. We thank Karen Emerson, who developed these tools and this process, for giving permission to share them. |
Financial Education
The Northwest Michigan Human Services Agency (NMHSA) has developed a tool to help screen potential IDA Participants at their program site. NMHSA is a Regional Coordinating Organization and IDA program site in the Michigan IDA Partnership (MIDAP).
According to Susan Lindson, Program Coordinator of MIDAP, NMHSA's
assessment process is as follows: After a potential Participant completes
and returns an application, IDA program staff and the IDA Advisory
Committee review the application and use the IDA Application Evaluation
Form to score the application. Each application is read by two people
and forms are filled out independently. A good application usually
scores a total of 7 - 8. The applicants who score high are invited
in to interview with two members of the IDA Advisory Committee and
staff. The Personal Interview provides the interviewers a chance to
meet the applicant and learn more about them. The IDA program is also
explained in more detail at this time. A Personal Interview questionnaire
is used when interviewing candidates. In the Appendix you will find
a reproduced copy of the IDA Application Evaluation Form and the Personal
Interview questionnaire. We thank Karen Emerson, who developed these
tools and this process, for giving permission to share them.
The Olympic Community Action Program in Port Townsend, Washington has a representative from Equifax, the credit reporting company, come and present a workshop to the class. Individual credit reports are then made available to the IDA Participants. |
Be sure that the Financial Education classes are accessible to the
Participants and responsive to their needs. Since most of your Participants
will be working during the day, it will be necessary to schedule the
Financial Education classes in the evening or on Saturdays to accommodate
Participants' schedules. Of course, offer the classes in the language
the Participants are most comfortable with.
Also, if possible, offer childcare and transportation to Participants
to make it easier for them to attend the classes. What works well
is to provide a light supper for Participants and their children,
and then have the children go to another room for activities while
the parents are having their class. You might want to work with the
children on financial education and asset building. You can talk to
them about what their parents are learning and what the IDA Program
is about, geared to the child's level of under-standing. Asset-building
activities with children should focus on identifying and building
upon their personal, educational and community assets, as well as
financial assets. There are Financial Education curricula available
for children too. The IDA Program is a family Program, and the more
the children understand and support their parents in their saving
patterns, the greater the likelihood of the family's success.
People Incorporated of Southwest Virginia in Abingdon, VA uses a home study course called Managing Your Money. They provide the study-at-home option along with classroom training and newsletters. The agency is in a rural area that lacks public transportation and adequate childcare, making the home study course a good option. |
The IDAs
There has been much discussion in the field about whether it is better to have the Participants' IDAs as custodial accounts, held in the name of the agency with no access by the Participant, or Participant-owner accounts. There are pros and cons to both sides of the issue.
Account Structure
Participant-Owned Accounts
Those agencies that offer Participant-owned accounts often mention the issue of empowerment as why they think it is important to allow Participants to have unfettered access to their accounts. They feel that if we are trying to teach people to be responsible for their finances, we should give them the responsibility of control over their IDA. (Note that when we talk about the IDA we are only talking about the account that holds the Participant's savings, not the matching funds, which are usually held in a Reserve Fund.)
Custodial Accounts
Custodial Accounts are those in which the agency is the custodian
for the Participant. The Participant can deposit funds into the account,
but cannot withdraw funds without the signature of the authorized
agency staff member. Those agencies that use custodial accounts for
their IDAs feel that it is important to remove the temptation that
a Participant might have to withdraw money from their IDA. They stress
the fact that the IDA Program is, in itself, empowering, so control
over their account is inconsequential. Also, Participants often like
the added barrier to removing their money. Participants can always
get their money if they want to, but it requires them to come and
talk to their Case Manager if an emergency arises. This gives the
Case Manager an opportunity to help the Participant pursue other options
and resources rather than removing funds from their IDA.
As you can see from the results of the survey below, the IDA field
is almost evenly divided on this question.
Type of Account | # of CAAs |
---|---|
Participant-owned Accounts
|
57
|
Custodial Accounts
|
50
|
Both Participant-owned and
Custodial Accounts offered |
14
|
Joint Accounts
|
7
|
Restricted/Subsidiary
|
2
|
Participants usually open their IDAs during the time they are taking the Financial Education classes. It is important that the branch where the accounts will be opened is accessible to Participants. The geographic location should be convenient, and the staff should be knowledgeable about IDAs.
Some agencies have a bank representative come to a Financial Education class before Participants go to the bank to open their IDAs. This way, Participants can meet the representative and have a contact when they go to the bank. Many times, this is the first encounter that a Participant has with a financial institution. By arranging for Participants to meet the bank representative first, we can help reduce the anxiety level for them and make it a positive experience.
If Participants can save more than the maximum amount that is subject
to matching funds, they should be encouraged to do it. This will give
them even higher savings to be used towards purchasing their asset.
Any amount above the allowable goal can be deposited into a separate
account opened by the Participant in their own name.
As is true for most of us, IDA Participants save best when deposits to their IDAs are made by direct deposit. If Participants' employers provide for this option, it is an excellent way to encourage consistent savings. |
Communicating with Participants
Information about their IDAs is communicated to program Participants
in one of several ways. Sometimes Participants receive a monthly (or
quarterly) statement directly from the financial institution that
holds their IDA. (In this case, it is advantageous if the bank will
also send a duplicate statement to the Program Operator.) Sometimes
the bank will send the statements to the Program Operator, who might
then copy the statements and share them with the Participants. A statement
showing both Participant savings and match is a helpful motivational
tool.
In Missouri the State CAA Association produces monthly account statements reflecting the Participants' IDA savings and the matching funds. |
Case Management
One-on-one Case Management is a critical component of any IDA Program. It is an ongoing process that lasts for the length of the program, and can continue for three to six months after a Participant has purchased their asset. The Case Manager provides encouragement and support to help the Participant adhere to their Savings Plan, as well as ongoing counseling and crisis intervention.
The importance of a well-trained Case Manager to Participants' success in the program cannot be overstated. The Case Manager's role is especially important to support Participants and ensure that they remain in the program when an emergency situation arises in their lives. During a crisis, a Participant might think that their only option is to close their IDA and withdraw from the program. The Case Manager will help find other options. The Case Manager also provides whatever support the Account Holder needs to help maintain and enhance their employment so that they can adhere to their savings goal.
In the following Table are listed some typical functions performed
by IDA Program Case Managers.
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Savings Plan Agreement
Most programs require some kind of a "contract" or Savings Plan Agreement to be signed before each Participant opens their account. The Savings Plan Agreement reflects a commitment between the agency and the IDA Program Participant. Often the Case Manager works with each Participant to develop their Agreement. Following is a list of items that are typically covered in the Savings Plan Agreement.
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Retention
Retention of Participants is one of the most critical issues facing IDA Program operators: how to keep people engaged and motivated over the 3 to 5 year period that most IDA Programs last.
Ways to Retain Participants
We asked our survey respondents: "What creative things have
you done to successfully retain Account Holders in your IDA Program?"
Here are their answers.
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Western Carolina Community Action in Hendersonville, NC uses special events as part of their retention strategy. They hold an annual picnic, offer a free oil change in collaboration with a local merchant, and hold evening hours at My Sister's Closet, an organization that offers free work attire. |
Asset-Specific Training/Savings Clubs
Most programs provide on-going asset-specific training for the duration of the time that Participants are in the IDA Program. The purpose of Asset-Specific Training (or Savings Clubs as they are sometimes called) is to ensure that Participants receive training in the skills and resources needed to purchase specific assets and on how to maintain their assets after purchase (e.g., the need for continual home repairs and maintenance).
Asset-Specific Training is usually provided through monthly workshops. Use your collaborative partners as guest speakers at workshops, where appropriate. The Savings Clubs can also be forums for Account Holders to discuss their concerns and issues of importance to them, and to share their successes, report on raises and promotions, and receive peer encouragement. They are also an opportunity to discuss work-related issues and other topics. Savings Clubs provide a supportive atmosphere to help Participants cope with issues that might arise on their job.
Additional training and educational opportunities as well as resources available to help Participants increase their employment marketability and earning potential may be topics for Savings Club meetings. Job retention and advancement also may be a focus of the meetings.
Participants usually begin attending the Savings Clubs after they have graduated from the Financial Education course. Some suggested topics for a few of the most common assets are:
- Home purchase - preparation for first home purchase, pre-qualification requirements, credit issues and the availability of free credit history reports, mortgage product types, the availability of first time homebuyer programs in the community and expertise from legal and real estate sources.
- Post-secondary education - choosing a college, the application process, financial aid, scholarships, job-training opportunities in the community.
- Business Capitalization - arrange for small business/entrepreneurial training to be provided to Account Holders by qualified individuals or entities. Make group classes available for general entrepreneurial training, followed by individualized training with professionals to assist Account Holders who wish to start their own business. Account Holders work with these professionals to develop qualified business plans.
- Vehicle - What can you afford? Evaluate your credit, Financing,
A new car or a used car? Buy or lease? Getting a good deal, Auto
insurance, Maintaining your car.
Asset Purchase
Purchase of the asset is the culmination of the IDA process. Programs have many different procedures to ensure adequate financial safeguards are maintained during the asset purchase process. Most programs require that the check (particularly the matching funds check from the Reserve Fund, but usually the check from the Participant's IDA as well) is made out to the vendor (the mortgage company, college bursar, etc.) rather than to the IDA Participant.
In addition to requiring Participants to adhere to the Program requirements
(including completing Financial Education classes, attending Asset
Specific training and reaching savings goals), most Programs also
require Participants to develop a written Plan for the ownership of
a major asset - a Homeownership Plan, Education Plan or Business Plan
- before they are permitted to purchase the asset. Documentation that
provides a paper trail for the purchase of the asset is essential.
CTE, Inc., the Community Action Agency serving the Stamford, Connecticut area, is located in one of the most expensive housing markets in the country. Participants' IDA savings plus match alone would not be enough for a down payment in this area. Betty McCree, CTE's IDA Program Manager, has forged linkages with other first time homebuyer programs that provide additional support for IDA Participants. Together with the IDA funds, these added resources make it possible for Participants to buy a home. Partners include the City of Stamford CDBG Program, the Housing Development Fund, Adopt-a-House, and the Greenwich CDBG Program. |
The Lending Process
IDA Programs are partnerships between non-profit agencies and financial institutions. One goal of the Programs is to familiarize Participants with mainstream financial institutions and to help Participants develop a relationship with a bank or credit union. Ideally, this relationship has positive results for the IDA Participant.
In our survey, we asked the question: "Are IDA Account Holders
treated differently in the lending process by either your agency or
by your partner financial institutions when they make their asset
purchase? (e.g., reduced fees, automatic qualification for loan, reduced
interest rate, reduced experience requirements, reduced collateral
requirements, or reduced equity requirements.)" 41 respondents
said, "Yes," and 70 said, "No." The Table below
lists the responses of those agencies that said, "Yes."
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The Greater Erie Community Action Committee reports that as a result of their financial literacy classes and case management, their partner banks will take a second look at clients that ordinarily would be rejected for a loan due to poor credit history. |
Program Policies
Sometimes, despite our best efforts and the hard work of our Participants, circumstances arise that require Participants to deviate from their Savings Plan. Described below are two policiesthe Emergency Withdrawal and the Leave of Absencethat many IDA Programs use to help Participants stay in the Program while they weather a temporary financial storm.
Emergency Withdrawal Policy
Programs usually discourage Participants from taking emergency withdrawals from their IDAs and make every effort to devise an alternative strategy to address the emergency. However, sometimes emergencies occur that make it necessary for a Participant to withdraw some funds from their IDA savings (not matching funds). Of the respondents to our survey, 104 indicated that they have an Emergency Withdrawal policy in place, and 10 said that they do not have such a policy. Programs have various requirements for their Emergency Withdrawal Policy, as indicated in the Table below. Some agencies indicated several requirements.
We asked the following question: "What are the specifics of
your Emergency Withdrawal Policy?"
Requirement | # of CAAs |
---|---|
Only for specific emergency (loss of job,
eviction, medical, major problem) |
50
|
With case manager/program staff
approval (on case-by-case basis) |
25
|
Must be in the program 6 months
|
15
|
Revise Savings Plan - get back on
track to achieve goals |
13
|
Can't use match
|
11
|
Participant must try to solve problem
first themselves |
8
|
Must replenish within one year
|
6
|
Must replenish within 90 days
|
3
|
Must replenish within 60 days
|
2
|
Must be in program 3 months
|
2
|
Can only take a certain percentage
out for Emergency |
12
|
Can remove entire balance
|
5
|
Limit to number of Emergency
withdrawals per Participant |
17
|
67% of the programs that responded to our survey said that one or more Participants in their IDA Program had taken an emergency withdrawal. Most indicated that the Participants were able to replace the money in their accounts within the required amount of time.
Leave of Absence Policy
IDA Program Participants may, from time to time, be faced with circum-
stances that make regular IDA savings impossible for a limited period
of time. Some Programs allow Leaves of Absence that are designed to
give Participants the opportunity to weather short-term financial
crises, regain their financial equilibrium and ability to save, and
remain a part of the IDA Program. As part of the Leave process, IDA
Program staff work with Participants to develop a strategy to respond
to the financial crisis that precipitated the Leave request.
Leaves of Absence are not appropriate for Participants who are experiencing
chronic rather than temporary financial crises and who are not able
or willing to work on a strategy for being able to make regular IDA
savings deposits in the foreseeable future.
In our survey we asked: "Does your IDA Program have a Leave
of Absence Policy?" 49 said, "Yes" and 68 said, "No."
Of those who indicated specifics of their Leave of Absence Policy,
the most common character-istics of the Leave of Absence Policy were
the following. (Some agencies indicated multiple characteristics.)
Requirement | # of CAAs |
---|---|
Only for extenuating circumstances/hardship
|
18
|
6 months maximum Leave
|
17
|
3 months maximum Leave
|
11
|
Participant on Leave must continue to
attend Program meetings, case management |
9
|
Leave allowed if Participant falls behind
2 months or more in their savings |
6
|
Can be extended to 1 year
|
5
|
No match accumulates while on Leave
|
5
|
Must bring savings current to return to
Program
|
5
|
Must be enrolled in program for 6 mo.
before can take Leave |
3
|
A total of 32 agencies indicated that they had IDA Participants take
a Leave of Absence. Usually a very small percentage of Participants
took advantage of the Leave policy. 31 respondents said that the Leave
of Absence policy has been helpful in retaining Account Holders in
the Program; 19 said it has not been helpful.
Post-Purchase Follow-Up And Support
In some agencies Case Managers provide three to six months of support to Participants after they have purchased their asset. Case Managers contact Participants at least once a month during this time to ensure that any issues related to the purchase or maintenance of their asset are addressed.
Data Collection
Data collection for IDA programs is challenging. Demographic information,
as well as information on deposits made, classes attended, and assets
purchased, must be collected and compiled. Following is a list of
the most commonly collected information for IDA programs.
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Use of Data Collection Software
137 agencies responded to our survey question: "What data-tracking software does your organization use for its IDA program(s)?" Some agencies mentioned several software systems being used. More than half of the Programs use MIS IDA. (MIS IDA was developed by the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis. See the list of resources in the Appendix for more information.) Of those using MIS IDA, some send their information to a central collection site (another agency, state association, etc.). Several have developed their own software and several mentioned that they use the system that their entire agency uses for tracking all of its clients. The results are listed in the following Table.
Type of Software | # of CAAs |
---|---|
MIS IDA
|
78
|
Excel Spreadsheet
|
50
|
Access Database
|
16
|
Both MIS IDA and Excel
|
13
|
Other
|
10
|
SPSS
|
0
|
Use no data collection software
|
14
|
The
Missouri Association for Community Action (MACA) has a data
base that contains information from all of the Community Action
Agencies within the state of Missouri. The Agencies send information
to MACA as well as track it themselves on Excel spreadsheets.
In Maine, Connecticut and other states, CAAs are part of a consortium that report to one agency with MIS IDA capacity. In Michigan, agencies forward data monthly to a regional
coordinator that inputs the data and forwards them to the
State. |
Evaluation ROMA
As responsible program operators, we all want to know how our programs are performing, if we are achieving our program outcomes, how our program is impacting our clients' lives, and where there might be room for improvement. ROMA, the Results-Oriented Management and Accountability system, mandated by the Federal Government for Community Action Agencies nationwide, is being used by the vast majority of CAAs in our survey. Of the 108 agencies that responded to the question: "Does your agency adhere to ROMA system?" 97 indicated that they do.
ROMA Goals
93 agencies responded to our survey question: "Under which ROMA
goal(s) do you measure your IDA Program." Many agencies gave
multiple responses. The Table lists the ROMA goals and the number
of CAAs that use that particular goal to measure their IDA Program.
ROMA Goal | # of CAAs |
---|---|
#1. Low-income people become more self-sufficient. |
83
|
#2. The conditions in which low-income people live are improved. |
48
|
#3. Low-income people own a stake in their community. |
49
|
#4. Partnerships among supporters and providers of services to low-income people are achieved. |
33
|
#5. Agencies increase their capacity to achieve results. |
6
|
#6. Low-income people, especially vulnerable populations, achieve their potential by strengthening families and other supportive systems. |
16
|
ROMA Outcome Measures and Indicators
We asked the survey question: "What ROMA outcome measures and
indicators do you use to measure your IDA Program." The answers
are in the following Table.
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Frequency of Monitoring
We asked the question, "How often are your ROMA outcomes monitored?"
Frequency | # of CAAs |
---|---|
Weekly
|
1
|
Monthly
|
24
|
Quarterly
|
58
|
Semi-Annually
|
6
|
Yearly
|
4
|
ROMA Outcome Measures Met
We asked the question: "How often do you meet your ROMA outcome
measures?"
Frequency | # of CAAs |
---|---|
All the time
|
20
|
Usually
|
62
|
Sometimes
|
10
|
Almost never
|
0
|
Never
|
1
|
Impact of ROMA
We asked the question: "What impact has ROMA had for your CAA?"
Impact of ROMA | # of CAAs |
---|---|
Very positive
|
36
|
Somewhat positive
|
38
|
No real impact
|
18
|
Somewhat negative
|
1
|
Negative
|
0
|