(2015)
CURL and ONE Northside produced a paper examining two grassroots organizations' need to scale up size and influence to better address the more regional and nationwide business and government decision-making structures. This is the first report for the project.
Download Report Scaling Up to Increase Community-Based Organization Voice
Article
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(2005)
This report focuses on the role that community-level organizations have had, currently have, and could have in setting regional agendas. Data for the report come from a representative sample of 49 community-based organizations in the City of Chicago, the Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Will, and Lake, as well as the Indiana counties of Lake and Porter. We also completed eight case studies of regional initiatives to examine the different ways in which community-based organizations connect with regional and statewide issues. Research was guided by a working group comprised of university-based researchers, community-based organization leaders, and regional group representatives.
Download Final Report Who Is Listening to Local Communities? Connections between Chicago Region Community-Based Organizations and Regional, State, and National Policy Initiatives
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(2004)
Anawim Center (currently known as the Kateri Center), a Native American spiritual and cultural center under the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis of the Archdiocese of Chicago formed a research collaboration with the Center for Urban Research and Learning (CURL) at Loyola University Chicago and the Office of Research and Planning of the Archdiocese of Chicago for a needs assessment study to determine the whereabouts, needs, and interests of the Native American community in Metropolitan Chicago.
Download Report Anawim Community Dispersion and Needs Assessment Study Anawim Community Dispersion and Needs Assessment Study
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(2003)
CURL worked with the National Neighborhood Coalition (a coalition of national and local organizations concerned with building the capacity of neighborhood-level organizations throughout the U.S.) to collect survey data and conduct focus groups that gave NNC an understanding of current and emerging policy issues at the local level.
Download Final Report The Future of Grassroots America: Local Perspectives on Current and Emerging Issues Facing Urban, Suburban and Rural Communities
Download Case Studies Getting It Together: Connecting Local Neighborhoods and National Advocates
(2001)
The Early Childhood Network of Edgewater & Rogers Park (ECN) was developed to test a model for improving services through a modest commitment of resources. The model proposes that one coordinator can network diverse child care providers throughout a neighborhood and maximize their ability to acquire the knowledge and resources necessary to improve and expand their programs. CURL evaluated the program.
Download Report Creating Community Connections: A Neighborhood Approach For Improving Early Childhood Education Programs
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(2000)
This project with Erie Neighborhood House facilitated a comprehensive programmatic participatory evaluation process and developed education and training services for staff.
Download Report Report of Erie's Strategic Planning and Evaluation Process Presentation to Board
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(2000)
The following is a community needs assessment guide designed by CURL researchers to aid organizations in identifying community assets and potential concerns. The guide briefly details the steps of the Concerns Report Method beginning with the planning phases and ends with the implementation of action committees and the utilization of findings from the needs assessment.
Download Report A Community Needs Assessment Guide: A Brief Guide on How to Conduct a Needs Assessment
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(1996)
In collaboration with Organization of the NorthEast (ONE) a community organizing group on Chicago’s north side, CURL worked to produce a study of nine affordable housing buildings in Uptown and the tenants’ and community organizations’ efforts to keep the housing affordable. The research process included open-ended interviews with community leaders and close-ended resident surveys in eight sample blocks in Edgewater and Uptown along with less-structured interviews with additional residents on these blocks. The interviews touch on a wide variety of issues, but a primary focus was to gain an understanding of racial, ethnic, and social class conflict and cooperation in the two communities.
Download Final Report Saving Our Homes: The Lessons of Community Struggles to Preserve Affordable Housing in Chicago's Uptown
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