The House is a non-profit organization that was set up to meet the needs of people living in poverty and those who were street involved.
The House is a non-profit organization that was set up to meet the needs of people living in poverty and those who were street-involved. Located in the downtown area services were available to people Monday to Friday 9:00 – 5:00 and Saturdays from 9:00 until 1:00 p.m. Services provided by The House and available to clients include:
· A drop-in lounge area where people can rest, meet with others and have a cup of coffee
· Shower facilities (2) where people can have half an hour to shower and get cleaned up
· A clothing bank where people could obtain clean clothes, coats, and shoes (community donated)
· A crisis social worker to assist with crisis situations and referrals with respect to food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, child welfare, and justice-related issues
· A family development drop-in lunch group of parents and toddlers
· A walk-in medical clinic
· Emergency dental services offered on Saturdays bi-weekly
· A needle exchange program
The people who use the services of The House includes: people/families who are homeless or are precariously housed; people/families who are working but living close to or below the poverty line; families with children under the age of 6; people who have recently been incarcerated; and youth/adults who are street involved.
The Drop In Lounge
The Lounge is located at the front of the building; it has huge windows and semi-comfortable chairs for people to sit in. The 35 chairs are arranged all around the perimeter of the space. The clothing room and the showers are accessible from this room. A staff member keeps the coffee hot and fresh all day long, coordinates the shower times and cleans the showers in-between, and services the clothing room as well. Some days there is a bit of a backlog as they can’t be in 3 places simultaneously.
In addition, this staff member also spends time talking with people in the lounge and they have heard that some people will not use the showers at La Sala because everyone sitting in the lounge knows who is showering. This is especially true for the older women who would like to access the showers but are too uncomfortable. Other comments have come forward that while loungers appreciate having coffee day round, coffee does not take the hunger away if it’s been a rough day or a difficult week. A few individuals have suggested that they are uncomfortable taking more than two cups because the staff member is constantly having to make fresh coffee and they feel like he’s angry at them for that. A couple of individuals stated that having coffee while they are sitting helps them feel like they have a right to sit there; when their coffee is gone they feel they should be leaving, even though they may not have a place to go that day.
Some people who drop-in are regulars; they may come to a couple of times a week. Many of these people have been coming by since The House opened two years ago. They are known by almost all the staff and have used many of the services offered under The House’s roof. They come by on their days off or after work if there is time.
Access to the needle exchange is through the main doors to The House, which open up to the Lounge. Those using the needle exchange have been uncomfortable in making exchanges during the main hours of the agency as anyone in the Lounge can see who is using the exchange. Most individuals will show up to do an exchange just before the agency closes, which often delays the closing. The exchange staff is reluctant to close when there is need, as clients also often need to acquire other paraphernalia or have health related questions they feel comfortable only talking with exchange staff about as they have a relationship with them.
As well, a number of people just looking to drop in for a coffee and a shower have identified that they are uncomfortable coming into the Lounge because of the people using the Needle exchange.
Drop-in Lunch Bunch
Tuesday and Thursday between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. there is a drop-in group for parents with toddlers. There are approximately 8 families (single parent and two parent families) with 13 children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years that attend the program. Not all families come every day: often it is just one parent who brings the children at least once a week. The group has an open structure but it was started to provide parenting support, connection, and assistance to young low-income parents with children under 6. While the group is held at La Sala, a social worker from the local Family Support Agency facilitates it. The House provides sandwiches and fruit for lunch and often families go home with food hampers, infant formulas, diapers or clothing they may be requiring.
The Assignment
For this assignment begin by reading through the context above as your answers should be based on the context. Please respond with complete sentences and answer each question as fully as possible. You needn’t create an essay for the assignment but rather number the responses but ensure to include a cover page and reference page. Make sure to provide APA citations & references for the sources (textbook, videos, etc.) you use to support your statements.
1. a) Based on the information provided in the Context above, identify where you might apply a needs assessment in the context of this organization. Outline the research question that you would ask and provide a description/explanation of the approach/research method that you would use to answer the question. Provide an explanation on why/how your chosen approach/method, the research question, and the context fit together and what you hope to achieve. Draw on material from the text, lectures, and additional readings to support your explanation.
b) Based on the information provided in the Context above, identify where you might apply an evaluation in the context of this organization. Outline the research question that you would ask and provide a description/explanation of the approach/research method that you would use to answer the question. Provide an explanation on why/how your chosen approach/method, the research question, and the context fit together and what you hope to achieve. Draw on material from the text, lectures, and additional readings to support your explanation.
c) Based on the information provided in the Context above, identify where you might apply a pure research project in the context of this organization. Outline the research question that you would ask and provide a description/explanation of the approach/research method that you would use to answer the question. Provide an explanation on why/how your chosen approach/method, the research question, and the context fit together and what you hope to achieve. Draw on material from the text, lectures, and additional readings to support your explanation.(16.5 marks)
2. a) When the research in each of the three studies is completed how would you disseminate the results (in what form and to whom)? Please refer to all three separately.
b) Identify ethical issues that you would need to pay attention to in writing and dissemination of the findings. (5 marks)
3. Using your pure research question and design as the starting point, create an information letter/letter of consent that you would present to participants before their participation. Remember to include all the elements necessary for ethical compliance. (the letter doesn’t require in-text citations) (5 marks)
Marks allocated for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and APA elements (3.5 marks)
