How can we use data to identify needs and solutions in a neighbourhood facing high rates of poverty?
Project Description:
Vanier Towers faces significantly poorer health outcomes than other areas in Hamilton. Tenants at these two buildings report higher rates of poverty, mental health issues, physical health issues, and addictions, than the average citizen in the City. A hub of services was implemented in 2017, to bring support and programs to the towers to address the social and health needs of this community. Partners include: Wesley (meals, recreation/social activities, mental health support), tenant led groups (peer support, art programming, social activities), Shelter Health Network (doctors drop-in hours on site), St. Josephs social worker (mental health and addictions support), OW, ODSP, Home Management, Tenant Support Workers (address issues putting tenancies at risk). The hub continues to develop according to tenant and community partner feedback. Evaluation and assessment of the hub is complex and ongoing. Since the spring of 2019, community partners for Vanier Towers have been entering data from their interactions with tenants using a Google Form. This project aims to analyze and enrich the current data to identify trends, gaps, and potential solutions.
City Staff: Kelly Coxson, CityHousing
Faculty, Course & Students: Steven Way, Mohawk College, Capstone Project (Analytics for Business Decision Making Program)
Goal: It is hoped that the data analysis plan will help with the following:
Improved data collection/analysis process so information can be analyzed using defined time periods (ex. monthly or quarterly).
Improved data collection/analysis process so information on referrals between hub partners is clearer.
Deliverables:
Written reports on data collection and analysis improvement suggestions, and data analysis visualizations (10 to 20 pages)
Presentation of analysis (30 min)