From sharing social media posts to taking part in committees, everyone in the Greater Cleveland LGBTQ+ community is invited to take part in an important survey of LGBTQ+ community needs and how best to address them.
TAKE THE SURVEY
The Greater Cleveland LGBTQ+ Community Needs Assessment involves nearly 100 local community organizations working together to identify and tackle the area’s most pressing LGBTQ+ issues. Assessment results will be used to develop strategies and recommendations for improving the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals in Greater Cleveland.
The LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland is the primary community partner in the study, which is led by Kent State University’s College of Public Health. This work is funded jointly through the Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation and Mt. Sinai Health Foundation, all in an effort to ensure that future programming and services align with the actual needs of the local LGBTQ+ community.
Organizers say an LGBTQ+ specific community needs assessment is important and needed for several reasons. Firstly, the resulting data can help identify the unique needs and challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals and communities, which may not be adequately addressed by broader, mainstream services or policies. For example, LGBTQ+ people may face discrimination, stigma and marginalization in healthcare, education, housing, employment and other areas of life, which can impact their mental and physical health, social support and overall wellbeing.
By conducting community needs assessments that are specific to LGBTQ+ individuals and communities, stakeholders hope to gain a better understanding of these unique needs and challenges and develop more tailored interventions, programs and policies to address them. This can help ensure that LGBTQ+ people received the support and services they need to thrive and can help promote greater equality and inclusion for all.
Additionally, the need for LGBTQ+ specific community needs assessments is especially pressing right now, given the ongoing challenges and changes facing the LGBTQ+ community. For example, while there have been some significant advances in LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance in recent years, there are still many areas where progress is desperately needed, including access to healthcare, education, employment and other essential services.
This community need assessment employs community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles designed to empower, uplift and engage the community to identify what the members of the Greater Cleveland LGBTQ+ community think are the most important priorities to meet their individual needs.
The Center, says executive director Phyllis Harris, is committed to making sure the needs assessment process “is inclusive and reflective of the diverse voices and perspectives within the LGBTQ+ community.” Harris is also the chair of the assessment’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
The assessment area includes Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Lorain. Besides the community survey, activities to gather input and feedback include intersectionality focus groups and key-stakeholder interviews.
The study’s critical areas include:
- Health and wellness
- Religion and spirituality
- Education and literacy
- Housing, food, and basic needs
- Business and commerce
- Safety and law enforcement
- Recreation and leisure
The Geauga SOGI Support Network, a nonprofit community group focused on programming for LGBTQ+ individuals and their families, is one of the community organizations partaking in the project. Chris Steigerwald, GSSN’s board president, highlights the collaborative nature of the project, which brings opportunity “to have essential conversations with many facets of our community. The final report will be a valuable guiding tool to ensure that the needs of all members of our community are heard.”
The Kent State College of Public Health led a similar assessment in Greater Akron in 2022 that provided dozens of short- and long-term recommendations to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people in that community. Recommendations ranged from helping more LGBTQ+ people register to vote to cultivating a culture of inclusiveness, open-mindedness, empathy, acceptance and respect both within and outside the LGBTQ+ community.
Community initiatives in the Greater Akron area are making use of the findings and recommendations from the LGBTQ+ Community Needs Assessment. This includes the public health departments in all four counties (Summit, Stark, Portage, and Medina) who have included specific sections on LGBTQ+ needs in their community assessments for the first time. Kent State University has also responded by creating a new graduate certificate program in LGBTQ+ Public Health, which will educate healthcare providers on how to deliver culturally competent care.
In response to concerns about conversion therapy in Akron, the results of the assessment were presented to Akron City Council, which then voted unanimously to ban conversion therapy for youth. The Akron Bar Association is also taking action to address safety and law enforcement concerns identified in the report, by creating a six-part series of training and continuing education sessions for first responders and legal professionals.
Since the report’s release in August 2022, dozens of community presentations have been given to raise awareness about the results and encourage action.
Organizers encourage members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies to help make this study a success in Greater Cleveland by getting involved and providing input via participating in the subcommittee meetings where the community survey, focus groups and stakeholder interviews will be developed.
With local input, organizers are working to ensure that the voices of the community are heard and reflected in the study results. 🔥
Ignite Action:
- Take the survey right this second by going here.
- Like, Follow and Share the project on Facebook and Instagram.
- Contact Andrew Snyder at asnyde20@kent.edu to get involved in a subcommittee.
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