Assessing the needs of Native American communities: a Northeastern example

Abstract

The article describes a community needs assessment conducted by Native Americans, with Native Americans, for Native Americans in an urban area in the Northeastern United States. Focus groups and interviews were used to gather information on social needs. Several strong themes emerged from the needs assessment, most notably the need to include culture as a foundation for everything in the community. Some community members called for the agency which sponsored the needs assessment to become a cultural center in addition to providing social services. Other community members believed that inclusion of a cultural perspective as an important dynamic in the provision of helping services and in the administration of the agency was needed. Public relations, communication, and outreach were also viewed as important to agency success.

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.