Community Voices

Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County (CAP-HC) conducts a Community Needs Assessment every three years to understand the evolving needs of people with low income in our community. 

To conduct these comprehensive assessments, we gather qualitative and quantitative data that delves into the causes and conditions of poverty.

Listening to our community both directly and through community-based organizations allows CAP-HC to develop programs and services that address the specific factors that cause and reinforce poverty, identify gaps in services and options for addressing them, and support organizational strategic planning that aligns with community needs.

post-it notes answering "what threatens our ability to achieve an equitable and thriving Hennepin County without poverty?"

2022 Community Needs Assessment

Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County (CAP-HC) is pleased to share insights from its 2022 Community Needs Assessment with the broader community.

Every three years, CAP-HC conducts a comprehensive Community Needs Assessment (CNA). By listening to the community, we ensure our programming is responsive to the changing needs of Hennepin County residents with lower incomes. Major themes from the CNA are outlined below:

Read the summary or full report to learn more about how we engaged with community members, and what we learned from them.

2021 Community Strengths and Needs Assessment

Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County (CAP-HC) announces the results of our 2021 Interim Community Strengths and Needs Assessment. 

Every three years, CAP-HC conducts a Community Needs Assessment (CNA) to ensure our programming is responsive to the changing needs of Hennepin County residents with lower incomes. Our most recent CNA was published in early 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd. To understand how these upheavals have impacted community needs, we conducted an interim CNA in fall of 2021. 

Knowing that communities of color have been disproportionately affected by these events, our engagement centered on five communities of color which CAP-HC serves – Hmong, Somali, African American, Native, and Latino. The interim assessment was completed in December 2021, and major themes are outlined below along with links to the executive summary and full report.