ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a community-engaged needs assessment process conducted as part of a wider evaluation project in a rural community. While focused on the sociological approach to the conduct of this needs assessment, this story also seeks to draw a parallel between the goals of applied and practicing sociologists with public sociology’s mission to improve social conditions. In particular, non-academic sociologists often use their sociological training to create change from within organizations and social systems, by helping community organizations address social problems they are organized to address, evaluating the social impact and effectiveness of publicly funded initiatives, assessing needs and mobilizing resources, among many other things. The case study presented here suggests that the needs assessment, as well as the overall evaluation study, was greatly enhanced by the inclusion of community members, allowing for enhanced access to community resources, and a more accurate interpretation of the resulting data. The strongest benefit to the community was the use of the study results to sustain its projects beyond the original federal-funded years as well as expansion to neighboring communities, even in light of significant staff turnover and other organizational obstacles.
