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.

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:
- Behind us is a Village – When seeking support, community members tap into their social networks (family, religious institutions, and community service organizations).
- Improving Information Accessibility – Community members are calling for a wider array of access points to information about services and how to navigate eligibility requirements.
- Compounding Factors Influence Economic Instability – Participants talked openly about interrelated factors influencing their economic stability. Economic instability was often a symptom of a deeper issue such as living with a chronic condition or becoming unhoused—issues which are exacerbated by systemic barriers like inadequate access to affordable housing, quality mental and physical healthcare, or reliable transportation.
- Uproot Economic Instability through Long-Term Wealth Building – Participants want to break the cycle of revisiting services to make ends meet, but systemic barriers impede their progress toward financial stability.
- More Choice & Autonomy: Reclaiming Time & Livelihood – Community members are trying to survive while simultaneously spending a lot of time overcoming barriers to programmatic support. They want service providers to see them as more than people with lower incomes. They are people who have dreams to be entrepreneurs, activists, and more.
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.
- Strength in community – Communities have a strong sense of connection and community empowerment. During these exceptionally difficult times, neighbors have come together to help each other.
- Struggles with basic needs continue – Improving access to affordable and healthy foods, stable and affordable housing, and training for higher-wage employment options were specifically mentioned.
- Public safety is a key challenge – Community members named fear for safety, distrust of police, and lengthy emergency response times.
- Anxiety, stress, and fear – COVID-19 has caused feelings of uncertainty leading to anxiety, stress, and fear that erodes mental health.
- Trust, transparency, and access – People mentioned a need for working with trusted partners, improving transparency in eligibility requirements and application processes, and the need for more outreach regarding programs and services.