Get to Know the Community

A Deeper Dive to Build Confidence and Trust

The first step is the discovery phase, helping you uncover vital information about the strengths, weaknesses, potential threats, and at-risk populations of your community. You’ll also learn ways to map this information that will help you pinpoint community threats and risks.

Truly knowing and understanding the community is the foundation of the Community Resilience Program. We provide a variety of proven resources for the discovery phase that can help you gain deeper knowledge about all aspects of the community and more accurately, confidently communicate about issues.

Step 1: Assessing Community Strengths & Resources

Whether it's the schools, social services, libraries, parks or an abundance of employment opportunities, every community has its advantages. This tool will help you identify the assets that give you something to build on.

Step 2: Identifying Community Weaknesses

Just as every community has its strengths, all have their challenges, including poor collaboration, a lack of access to services, low engagement or chronic problems such as poverty, pollution or crime. An honest picture can help you know where obstacles may arise, and this tool can help you do just that.

Step 3: Pinpointing Community Threats or Risks

Building a consensus around potential problems can be difficult. Seeking the perspectives of stakeholders and reviewing past issues will allow you to identify and rank the key challenges your community is likely to face. Get started here.

Step 4: Reviewing At-Risk Populations

During and after an emergency, there are individuals who will be left more vulnerable than other members of the community. Identifying groups that will need additional attention can help safeguard them during a crisis. Use this form to ascertain which populations are most vulnerable, where they're located and what resources they will need.

Step 5. Mapping

Creating a map that contains all information gathered in steps 1 through 4 can help you better understand the scope of your community's situation, and allow you to set priorities and assign roles to the members of your team. For each threat or risk:

  • Print out a map of your community
  • Draw a line around the areas likely to be affected by the risks you've identified
  • Identify resources in or near the affected area, including health centers, available shelter space, equipment and community organizations with specific skills such as translation services.
HELPFUL RESOURCES
Community Weaknesses

Identify community weaknesses using this tool.

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Community Strengths and Resources

Document strengths and resources available in your community using this template developed by the LACCDR project team.

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Ready to move on?

Get to Know the Community is the first milestone in the Plan Phase, the next step in the program is

Identify Stakeholders

 
Community Graphic

Engage with Our Community

Connect with engaged individuals, and gain access to shared resources to help you build resilience in your community.

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