Assessing the needs of Native American communities: a Northeastern example
Introduction
Researchers and human service providers who come from within Native communities are in an opportune position to facilitate the expression of Native voices about Native needs. Although research on the social and health needs of Native Americans has been conducted for years, frequently such projects are undertaken by researchers and human service providers from outside the Native community. Outside researchers face cross cultural struggles in addition to the typical challenges faced by all researchers (Matsumoto, 1994). The following discussion describes a community needs assessment conducted by Natives, with Natives, for Natives in an urban area in the Northeastern United States. To protect the privacy of those involved in the study, the city, tribes, and agency involved in the project will be described in broad terms and not specifically identified.
The needs assessment was sponsored by a Native-run agency mandated to provide a variety of social services to off-reservation Native Americans. The administration and board of the agency are all Native American. The staff of the agency fluctuates between 80–90% Native American. The Native American population in the area is believed to be between 2000 and 3000 people; no precise count of this population exists since many Native people refuse to answer the census in the belief that to be counted by a foreign nation (the United States) is a violation of the sovereignty of Native nations (Native American Leadership Commission on Health AIDs, 1994).
The urban Native American community where the project took place is fairly homogeneous and consists primarily of members of several interrelated tribes. Three reservations are within a 1 hour drive of the urban area and travel back and forth is common. Members of this urban Native American community place an emphasis on the importance of cultural continuity. There is a strong emphasis on indigenous sovereignty and a sense of being politically, ethnically, and culturally distinct from others in this urban area.
It is important that Native American social service agencies identify the needs of Native Americans so services will meet the needs of that community. A needs assessment must include voices from the Native community expressing perceived needs. In 1995–1996, this Native-run agency conducted a needs assessment which gathered information from this urban Native community. The information was used in prioritizing and evaluating existing services and for designing and implementing new services. The needs assessment was conceptualized as a preliminary step in building better communication between the community and the agency.
Culture is a term that is used widely and has many different meanings. As used in this article, culture includes such facets as values, world view, and belief system. Culture is a perspective that guides behavior (Green, 1999). The word community is used throughout this document to refer to Native Americans living in the urban area under discussion. Within this and most Native cultures, the sense of being a member of a collectivity is an important source of cultural identity. Goals tend to be centered around the needs and well-being of the group rather than individuals. The group is greater than the sum of its parts.
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Background
Planning for social welfare programs must be based on an accurate assessment of community needs and priorities Delgado, 1981, Sung, 1989. Ideally a needs assessment both documents needs and identifies priorities that can be used to allocate funds (Cheung, 1993).
Frequently research conducted in Native communities has produced information but never returned it to the community Guyette, 1983, Native American Leadership Commission on Health AIDs, 1994, Weaver, 1997. This pattern leads participants
Methods
Development of the project was guided by a group of key members of the Native community. This group gave input into the methodology and questions to be asked so the project would be culturally congruent for this Northeastern population. Focus groups and individual interviews were used to gather information from a wide variety of people in the Native community including agency clients and staff, parents and staff at a Native American magnet school, people affiliated with other Native agencies
Results
The needs assessment reflects the voices of the Native community. On some issues the Native community speaks with a unified voice and there is strong agreement. In other areas the community is divided about its concerns and priorities. The voices of the community are presented first as a whole then broken down according to the voices of clients, staff, and other community members. Because much of the information was gathered through focus groups, it is not possible to identify precise numbers
Discussion
Several strong themes emerged from the needs assessment, most notably the need to include a cultural foundation for social service operations. A cultural foundation ensures program design and implementation are conducted in accordance with cultural norms and values rather than simply adding cultural considerations to a completed project. The image of the agency as being non-Native exists in the minds of some community members. Although the board, administrators, and most staff are Native, some
Recommendations for research in Native communities
The following recommendations can serve as a guide for researchers working in Native communities. While Native-run projects such as this needs assessment may be the most desirable, there are times when Native communities may request or accept the help of non-Native researchers. These recommendations can be useful to both Native and non-Native researchers.
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Community support for research is critical. Know the key community members (e.g. Clan Mothers, Chiefs, tribal officials, elders) and use their
Conclusions
The findings of the needs assessment are being widely disseminated in the Native community. Reports will be sent to all participating groups and made available at the agency to all interested individuals. A community newsletter will carry a summary of the results of the project and information on how to get the full needs assessment report. It is imperative that community members see the results of the project they participated in. They need to know their voices have been heard.
The agency board
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