Garden Street Community, Lee County : an action-oriented community diagnosis : findings and next steps of action
Creators: name: Brannock, Kristen Denee
name: Schultz, April Dawn
name: Davenport, Amy Faline
name: Frenzel, Jennifer Blake
name: Keith, Heather Louise
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2004

description: Between November 2003 and April 2004, five students from the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina worked in conjunction with community members and service providers to conduct an Action Oriented Community Diagnosis (AOCD) in the Garden Street community in Sanford, North Carolina. The goal was to identify strengths and needs of this small public housing community and bring community members and service providers together to create action steps for positive change. The information and dialogue generated are intended to help guide programs for promoting the health and well-being of the Garden Street community. This document summarizes the team’s research process and findings, explains the outcomes of the Garden Street Community Meeting, and provides recommendations for the future. A total of 30 people were interviewed, including 16 community members and 14 service providers. Secondary data was collected from several sources, and team members kept field notes to document experiences and reflections throughout the process. Data analysis revealed several themes of importance to the Garden Street community members and service providers. Relationships, both within the community and between community members and service providers, emerged as an important topic. Many feel that Garden Street has a supportive, family-like atmosphere, while some feel that community members may avoid social interaction in order to prevent conflict. Relationships between community members are service providers seem to be characterized by a need for more direct communication regarding programs and services. Policies related to living in public housing also surfaced as a key issue. While many believe that policies are in place to keep people safe, some community members feel that policies are enforced too strictly and do not allow community members enough freedom. One policy that generates mixed feelings is the community service requirement. While community members are not necessarily opposed to doing community service, some feel that the policy is carried out unfairly. Some service providers see potential benefits of community service and may be willing to help community members find ways to fulfill this requirement. Community members and service providers have some concerns regarding crime and drugs, especially in regards to “outsiders” coming in to Garden Street, but most agree that the community has undergone some significant improvements over the past several years. Both parties recognize a need for structured activities in Garden Street. The community center has not been consistently open, but both community members and service providers agree that it should be open and used for programs, especially for children and youth. Community members place a high priority on family and community life and enjoy informal social gatherings in Garden Street, which help foster a sense of community. Transportation also came up as fairly important issue; some community members see the limited availability of affordable transportation in Sanford as a significant barrier. Service providers also feel that the lack of public transportation and cost of other options is problematic. The Garden Street Community Meeting generated discussion about a few of these topics. From these discussions, action steps were created to improve communication lines between community members and service providers, open the Garden Street community center and plan activities for children, and help community members fulfill the community service requirement in a potentially more feasible way. Overall, the AOCD in Garden Street provided an opportunity for community members and service providers to voice their views on the assets of the community, share concerns about areas needing improvement, and dialogue together about ways to enhance the quality of life in Garden Street.