DHIC Board Member, Danny Kadis, and staff member, Rachel Tutwiler, performing neighborhood observations
Every three years, DHIC partners with NeighborWorks America to conduct a Community Impact Measurement (CIM) study to collect data about the impact of affordable housing in our area. The CIM survey is designed to help track different neighborhood conditions like:
- Community engagement
- Perceptions of safety
- Property conditions
- Service quality
- Resident satisfaction
This year, our area of focus for the CIM study is Washington Terrace (WT) and two of the neighborhoods surrounding it: East College Park and Madonna Acres. The goal is to study the impact that affordable housing has, not just on the residents who live in the affordable housing community, but the people who live and work near the area too.
Conducting the study is a group effort and includes participation from our Resident Services team, members of our Board of Directors, our Development team, our President, and more. It takes place over the course of about four months and includes three components:
- Observations: Members of our team ride around the community on a golf cart, using a detailed spreadsheet to make note of the state of the landscaping, areas that need repairs, etc.
- Key informant interviews: We speak with a minimum of 20 people in the area like long-term residents and business owners, asking them about their experience with Washington Terrace and how they feel about their own communities.
- Resident surveys: We survey a minimum of 200 residents between The Village at Washington Terrace, Booker Park South, and Booker Park North, asking them detailed questions about their experience in the community, if they feel safe, if they feel connected to other residents in the community, etc.
WT Resident Leaders & DHIC staff collecting CIM interviews
Our residents have been incredible about filling out and returning these surveys, and their feedback has been invaluable. To make it as easy as possible for them, our Family Services Coordinator at the Village at Washington Terrace, Bridgette Lynn, encouraged residents to bring their completed surveys to the recent National Night Out event. As a result, we had more than 80 responses turned in that day alone.
Once we complete the CIM study, we’ll use the data from the study to look for common themes in the responses, share the feedback with residents and stakeholders, and make updates to address any concerns. We expect to finish this year’s CIM study in the next few weeks and look forward to sharing the results with you in a future newsletter.