Appendix C: Gathering Data on Your Target Population |
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National data, such as U.S. Census Bureau statistics, can help AFI applicants document local population characteristics. AFI Projects have used various other tools and strategies described below to provide additional insights into a target community.
- Needs Assessments . AFI encourages prospective grantees to do a needs assessment to understand local conditions. One grantee used an existing area-wide needs assessment with demographic information on who receives assistance, who has children, and divorce rates. The data indicated, for example, the number of families that could qualify to participate under the AFI guidelines.
- Focus Groups . Some agencies host focus groups of providers or community members to learn about the target population and potential interest in IDAs. Several current AFI Projects have convened people already using their agency's services to learn about their ability to save, readiness to take the time needed for training, comfort level with financial institutions, and interest in IDAs. One AFI Project held five focus groups distinguished by common group characteristics (e.g., former welfare recipients, youth over 18), and followed traditional focus-group methodology. The groups went through 30 questions on financial readiness topics: Have you maxed out your credit cards? Ever read your credit report? Ever been denied credit? The IDA manager for this project reported, "We found that the credit history of many clients was not bad credit, but rather no credit." Such knowledge may be important for determining your target population and project design.
- Key Informant Interviews . Another form of qualitative information is often gathered from contacts with agencies serving low-income populations. For AFI application purposes, these interviews are best done formally through standard interview protocols. However, any information will be useful. For example, one applicant looked inside its agency and did informal interviews with staff working on related programs.
- Networking . Another strategy is to talk to other groups locally or even around the country to find out how they assessed the resources, opportunities, and challenges their AFI Projects would face. For example, one grantee looked at lessons learned from the privately funded American Dream Demonstration-a precursor to AFI in the late 1990s. "We did some significant listening and sharing on what works and doesn't work," said one AFI Project staff person.
- Recent Local Studies. It may be that your local jurisdiction or another neighborhood organization or coalition will have done a recent and useful study. For example, many cities have data on employment, home ownership, household income, education, or business activity that is more recent than Census data and that may be available by zip codes or neighborhood designations. Check local offices for economic development or housing services, or planning offices. Twenty-one large and medium-size cities have Neighborhood Indicator Partnerships that gather all kinds of data from all kinds of sources so that you don't have to repeat this work. Check http://www.urban.org/nnip .