NCJ Number
51552
Date Published
1974
Length
54 pages
Annotation
FIVE PROVIDENCE, R.I., NEIGHBORHOODS WERE SURVEYED TO DETERMINE HOW WELL THE SETTLEMENT HOUSES AND NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS WHICH SERVE THEM PERFORM THE ROLE OF NEIGHBORHOOD ADVOCATE. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT ARE MADE.
Abstract
THE NEIGHBORHOOD RESEARCH EFFORT WAS CONDUCTED DURING THE FALL AND WINTER OF 1973-1974. RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED WITHIN THREE BLOCKS OF FIVE OF THE EIGHT THE AGENCIES PARTICIPATING IN THE STUDY. THE WIDER CONSTITUENCY OF THREE AGENCIES MADE A NEIGHBORHOOD SURVEY IMPOSSIBLE. THE SAMPLES FOR EACH OF THE SURVEYS WERE DRAWN RANDOMLY BY LISTING AND NUMBERING EACH DWELLING UNIT WITHIN THE SAMPLE AREA (AS FOUND IN THE 1973 PROVIDENCE CITY DIRECTORY) AND APPLYING A TABLE OF RANDOM NUMBERS TO THE MASTER LISTS TO SELECT THE ACTUAL SAMPLES. NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS, INTERVIEWED BY TRAINED VOLUNTEERS FROM THE COMMUNITY SURVEYED, WERE ASKED HOW MUCH THEY KNEW ABOUT THE AGENCY SERVING THEIR COMMUNITY, WHETHER OR NOT THEY BELIEVED THE AGENCIES TO BE WORTHWHILE, WHETHER OR NOT THEY OR ANYONE IN THEIR FAMILY USED THE AGENCIES' SERVICES, WHAT SOCIAL PROBLEMS THEY SAW AS MOST SERIOUSLY AFFECTING THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS, AND HOW THEY FELT ABOUT THE AGENCIES RELATIVE TO THEIR ATTITUDES TOWARD OTHER KEY COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS. THE SURVEY REVEALED A GENERAL EXPERIENCE OF ALIENATION FROM THE CITY DECISIONMAKING PROCESS AND CITY SERVICES DETERMINING NEIGHBORHOOD CONDITIONS. ATTITUDES WERE NEGATIVE TOWARD CITY GOVERNMENT, POLICE, AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WHILE ALL OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD AGENCIES, ALONG WITH THE PROVIDENCE HEALTH CENTERS AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WERE VIEWED POSITIVELY. SLUM HOUSING, DRUG ABUSE, ALCOHOLISM, AND UNEMPLOYMENT WERE THE MOST FREQUENTLY MENTIONED SOCIOECONOMIC PROBLEMS. ON THE BASIS OF THESE SURVEY FINDINGS AND A STUDY OF AGENCY OPERATIONS, THE WORK OF NEIGHBORHOOD SETTLEMENTS AND CENTERS WAS JUDGED TO BE GENERALLY HELPFUL AT VARIOUS LEVELS OF COMMUNITY NEED; HOWEVER, IN ORDER TO PLAY A MORE EFFECTIVE ADVOCATE ROLE, IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT EACH SETTLEMENT AND NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER SHOULD DEVELOP A MECHANISM FOR THE SYSTEMATIC IDENTIFICATION OF THEIR CONSTITUENTS' SOCIAL NEEDS AND CONCERNS. WAYS IN WHICH THIS CAN BE DONE ARE SUGGESTED. STUDY RESULTS ARE ILLUSTRATED BY GRAPHS AND TABULAR DATA. THE QUESTIONNAIRE IS APPENDED. (RCB)