Using Family Needs Assessments to Guide Place‐Based Services for Vulnerable Families: Lessons From the COVID‐19 Pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe COVID‐19 pandemic created significant health, social and economic impacts, disproportionately affecting minority, immigrant and low‐income communities. Agencies were challenged to rapidly address emerging needs, yet most operated on anecdotal information. This paper describes a community‐informed family needs assessment in Miami, Florida, during November 2020–March 2021. It was conducted by a nonprofit agency collaborating with a university. The aims were to capture socio‐economic, educational and health needs experienced during the early pandemic to inform place‐based services. Eighty‐one participants, mostly Hispanic, foreign‐born parents, completed an anonymous online survey of pandemic experiences, with 15 parents participating in additional, in‐depth focus group discussions. Utilizing a mixed methods approach, results show that perceived economic, educational and psychosocial needs often exceeded and complicated health impacts, with basic needs including food/housing assistance, occupational programmes and online support groups. By coordinating the response around identified needs, this community–academic partnership strengthened and targeted their place‐based public health response, an approach that can serve to guide other communities.