AGENDA PACKET - Laserfiche WebLink

PAGE 19 QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION EFFORT PEOPLE INVOLVED 9 community focus groups (adults + youth) 81 2 nonprofit focus groups •executive staff •direct service staff 19 Community tabling •Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Festival •La Familia Dia de los Muertos event •Tri-Valley NonProfit Alliance Poverty webinar 110+ Interviews with community members 29 Interviews with nonprofit leaders and faith-based organizations 26 Interviews with first responders 3 Intercept interviews •Axis Health Center •Livermore Senior Center •La Salud Health Fair: Salud y Sol End of Summer Health Fiesta 70 TOTAL 338 Table 5. Data Collection Activity and Sample DEMOGRAPHICS For the majority of the primary data collection efforts, demographic data were not collected in recognition of: 1) the discomfort of many individuals when asked personal information, potentially resulting in lower levels of engagement; and 2) the desire to lessen the burden of participation, particularly for those engaged through tabling events and intercept interviews. The exception to this was focus groups, in which individuals had the option of providing demographic information. Of the 81 individuals who participated in focus groups, 63 elected to provide demographic information. This information is summarized below. These data points should be interpreted with caution and with the reminder that they do not reflect the demographics of people engaged in individual interviews, intercept surveys, or tabling events. Participants were asked how to describe themselves (capturing racial and ethnic demographics), and the response category allowed for multiple selections to capture individuals who self-identified as multiracial. The largest proportion of participants self-identified as white (41.9%), followed by East Asian (20.9%) which includes Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese ancestry. Hispanic, Latino, and Spanish origin represented 9.7% of respondents. The other participants included South Asian (e.g., Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi) at 8.1%; and Black or African American, including Jamaican, Haitian, Nigerian, and Ethiopian at 8.1%. 6.5% of respondents selected multiple racial or ethnic categories while 4.8% of respondents indicated that they preferred not to answer this question. The majority of participants (40.3%) had less than a high school diploma, while 8.1% had a high school diploma or an associate’s degree (3.2%). 22.6% had a bachelor ’s degree, and 17.8% had a master ’s degree or higher. Annual household income ranged from $35,000 to more than $200,000, with the majority (40.3%) indicating that they preferred not to answer. Languages spoken by focus group participants included English, Hindi, Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese. REPRESENTATION AND IMPLICIT BIAS Throughout this project, the JSI Project Team collaborated closely with city staff, the Steering Committee, EAPAC, and other partners to inform the approach to data collection, analysis, and recommendations. Key considerations, including representation across the three cities, as well as distinctions within and between cities, were revisited. As mentioned, when discussing priority populations and the data collection design, the focus was on understanding the complexity of lived experiences for individuals most in need of human services, balanced against the need to ensure broad representation. Throughout this process and in close collaboration with the EAPAC, the JSI Project Team often questioned its own implicit biases and the potential biases of those involved. In addition to this ongoing internal work, the findings were triangulated with census data and regional reports to determine the extent to which lived experiences were reflected in existing data. Additionally, a recurring question arose of whether there were substantive differences between cities or whether findings and the resulting recommendations were experienced regionally. Initially, distinct efforts were made to collect within-city data, as significant EASTERN ALAMEDA COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES NEEDS ASSESSMENTSS Page 77 of 554