Women Center Hart City: Accessibility, Communication, and Responsiveness
Submit a 2-page paper in which you address the following:
Identify the program you selected. ((Women Center Hart City)) With this program in mind, respond to the following questions about accessibility, communication, and responsiveness.
• Accessibility: Are service users able to access the program? Are cost, distance, transportation, or other factors limiting the ability of some individuals to benefit from the program?
• Communication: Does the program (and its staff) effectively communicate with service users?
• Responsiveness: Is the program (and its staff) responsive to the needs of the service users?
Support your Assignment with evidence from the Hart City interface (e.g., community needs assessment, data provided about the program you selected) and with scholarly sources.
• Resources
• Kettner, P. M., Moroney, R. M., & Martin, L. L. (2017). Designing effective programs (Table 8.7: Dimensions of quality) Download Designing effective programs (Table 8.7: Dimensions of quality). In Designing and managing programs: An effectiveness-based approach (5th ed., p. 147). SAGE.
Copyright 2015 by SAGE Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications, Inc via the Copyright Clearance Center. Licensed in 2021.
• Kertesz, S. G., McNeil, W., Cash, J. J., Desmond, R., McGwin, G., Jr, Kelly, J., & Baggett, T. P. (2014). Unmet need for medical care and safety net accessibility among Birmingham’s homeless.Links to an external site. Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 91(1), 33–45. https://go(dot)openathens(dot)net/redirector/waldenu.edu?url=https://doi(dot)org/10.1007/s11524-013-9801-3
• LeeAnn Shan, & Matt Sandler. (2016). Addressing the homelessness crisis in New York City: Increasing accessibility for persons with severe and persistent mental illnessLinks to an external site.. Columbia Social Work Review, 50–58. https://go(dot)openathens(dot)net/redirector/waldenu.edu?url=https://doi(dot)org/10.7916/D8794GRG/download
• The Community Toolbox. (n.d.-a). Community assessment: Section 6. Conducting focus groups.Links to an external site. https://ctb(dot)ku(dot)edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-resources/conduct-focus-groups/main
• The Community Toolbox. (n.d.-b).Community assessment: Section 13Links to an external site.. Conducting surveys. https://ctb(dot)ku(dot)edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-resources/conduct-surveys/main
• Twersky, F., & Reichheld, F. (2019). Why customer feedback tools are vital for nonprofitsLinks to an external site.. Harvard Business Review Digital Articles, 2–5.
• Walden University, LLC. (2021). Hart CityLinks to an external site. [Interactive media]. Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu(dot)instructure(dot)com
Measuring Effectiveness of Human Services
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As a nonprofit organization, Hart City Women's Shelter focuses on offering crisis-based programs by offering secure residential shelter for females and their dependent children undergoing Child Protective Services for a short period. According to Kettner et al. (2017), a program must ensure accessibility, responsiveness, and effective communication to meet the needs of service users to serve the target population effectively. This paper will evaluate the accessibility of Hart City Women's Shelter to its target population, if there is effective communication with the service users, and whether it is responsive to their specific needs.
Accessibility
The program provides services to women from different age brackets with minor children depending on them and under Child Protective Services. However, certain factors limit specific individuals from accessing the program. Among such factors is the program's eligibility criteria, which allows only single mothers earning lower incomes to access the program. This criterion implies that married women or women without children may not access the program. Shan and Sandler (2016) observe that such challenges limit homeless people with severe mental illnesses from accessing the program's services. In this vein, the program presently has a waiting list of up to six months, which adds to its limitations of accessibility for people needing immediate assistance. Also, the cost is a limiting factor since some people may be unable to afford the $60 required per person in a day for the program. Kertesz et al. (2014) argue that many homeless people cannot afford mere expenses and thus cannot access various services, including healthcare.
Communication
The program's effective communication with its service users is critical in addressing their needs. The survey results show that 10% of the service users strongly concur with the excellent responsiveness of the staff to their concerns and questions (Walden University, 2021). However, this data implies there is room to improve concerning communication effectiveness. Moreover, the complaint logs show the complaints of the residents towards staff positions turnover, which can adversely affect effective communication. Also, the residents have reported such issues as bugs in housing units, failure to do repairs, and insufficient food, which shows the program has communication breakdowns with its service users. Improving the program's communication channels, giving timely and transparent information, and addressing users' concerns are vital in enhancing the general program's effectiveness (The Community Toolbox, n.d.-a).
Responsiveness
How the program and the staff respond to the service users' needs determines how it achieves positive results. In this context,...