Under the leadership of Hope Community, the BYI organizational team implemented a plan to research the interests and needs of community organizations in the Backyard area.
Hope Community held one to one interviews and listening circles with 34 organizational leaders representing 31 organizations to provide an update about the BYI and hear their issues. Several key themes emerged:
- Support for the BYI definition of health and its focus on social connectedness as an important strategy to improve health.
- Organizations feel “silo- d” and isolated as immediate demands and inadequate funding make it difficult to take on new projects.
- Organizations are overwhelmingly interested in continuing to be involved in the work of the BYI if it is productive and action-focused.
In response to resident”'s request for better understanding of available resources from organizations, the first ever comprehensive inventory of non-profits in the Backyard was completed. The inventory yielded a list of 202 nonprofits within the geographic Backyard and upon further analysis; there is now a database of 125 active organizations in the area that are relevant to improving health. CHAT members and other residents in the Backyard will be able to use the inventory to identify and pursue organizations that may be able to support their work.
