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PAGE 7 The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the need for more resources so, in 2022, the three cities hired JSI to lead the EACHSNA process. JSI is a public health research and consulting organization with an office in Berkeley, California. It has over 40 years of experience providing technical services to federal, state, and local agencies to improve the health of individuals and communities, with a focus on vulnerable populations. JSI was tasked with conducting the EACHSNA by leveraging existing documents including the prior needs assessment; incorporating a diversity, equity, and inclusion framework to ensure an equitable and inclusive process and outcomes; and developing a final report including recommendations and associated implementation steps. Figure 2. Timeline of the Tri-Valley Needs Assessments 2003 Tri-Valley commissioned its first human services needs assessment collecting critical local data for programmatic, policy, and resource allocation decision making. 2011 The three cities commissioned a follow up report to assess the changing needs, demonstrate current and future human service needs and service delivery gaps, and recommend ways to meet residents’ human service needs. 2021 The three cities resolved to conduct a needs assessment every 10 years to stay abreast of the changing needs within their individual cities and the region as a whole. 2022 JSI was hired to complete the 2022 needs assessment. V. GUIDING THEORETICAL VALUES AND FRAMEWORKS Community Engagement, Power Sharing, and Capacity Building Our process grounded the work in equity and ensured a sound and inclusive assessment process. It started with the use of an equity framework as a roadmap for the assessment to help ensure a collaborative, engaged, and intentional process that built community capacity and relationships. The following outlines each framework principle and how it was applied in the Needs Assessment. Centering lived experience: In recognition of the fact that community members and service providers are the experts of their lives, the JSI Project Team worked thoughtfully and deliberately to center the voices of community members within the Tri-Valley who were eligible for, have sought out, or have received human services. Throughout the project, the JSI Project Team aimed to lessen participants’ burden while maximizing opportunities for participation. It focused on identifying and engaging people who are often labeled “difficult to reach,”i particularly those identified as priority populations in the project’s initial scoping activities. Equitable data practices: There is a long history of extractive data collection practices in the United States, with little to no sharing of power, capacity building within communities, or follow-up in how data were used. Thus, equity was a focus of every step of data collection and analysis. Community members were trained and supported to collect data as focus group and interview facilitators; provided trainings on topics including qualitative analysis; and shaped the identification and prioritization of strengths, challenges, and recommendations. Strengths-based approach: The central purpose of a human service needs assessment is to identify challenges (i.e., community and organizational i Note: This term is problematic because it obscures the historic lack of inclusion efforts and barriers to participation, including a lack of trust. EASTERN ALAMEDA COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES NEEDS ASSESSMENTSS Page 65 of 554