Community Indicators Database

The Community Indicators System is a resource that allows local government, businesses, non-profit organizations, human service agencies, faith-based initiatives, and other area programs to access comprehensive information on both indicators of well-being for Kalamazoo's children and families, as well as view program information on a complete listing of activities that operate in Kalamazoo and resources available to individuals in need.

The Community Indicators System is currently under construction. Receiving support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Kalamazoo Community Development Block Grants, the W.E. Upjohn Institute, and Western Michigan University, the Community Indicators System is a resource that will allow all area organizations the ability to better adjust their programming to respond to community needs. In addition, by providing comprehensive mapping on the well-being of our residents that juxtaposes indicators alongside information on programs available to help residents in need, the Community Indicators System promotes cooperation between the many programs working to better the quality of life for Kalamazoo residents.

Better Data Equals Better Decision Making

By providing a resource that allows our local government, area administrators, and community leaders the ability to identify the most pressing needs of our residents alongside gaps in existing service provision, the Community Indicators System helps all organizations in our area best meet the needs of our community.

In addition to the endorsement and support of the Community Indicators System by area human service organizations, the Community Indicators System has been selected by the Region VI Poverty Summit Coalition, as the project they endorse to lead their poverty reduction efforts in the nine counties of southwest Michigan. (Click on the Post-Summit link under the Projects tab above to learn more about this latest front on Michigan's poverty reduction efforts)

• The first component of the Community Indicators System is an information system that includes monitoring trends in poverty and poverty-related quality of life indicators, trends in the supply and demand for various poverty-related resources and services (eg., food security, energy assistance, access to adequate healthcare, housing assistance), and trends in the utilization of those services.
  
• The second component involves evaluation research by social scientists at Western Michigan University who will assess how adequately community resources and services are working (individually and collectively) in their respective communities to reduce poverty, integrating the research and evaluation resources of the University with the departments of City government, community non-profit organizations, and human service agencies.
  
•  The third component of the Community Indicators System is a community information campaign that juxtaposes information about poverty in our community with the highest ideals of opportunity and access that we as Americans and as members of our communities embrace and espouse.

The Community Indicators System would aid all human service programs in evaluating the efficacy of their services, as well as provide an opportunity for cross-sector collaboration and partnership with the many programs operating in our community to help residents in need.

Community Report Card

In complement to the database of the Community Indicators System, the PRI and WMU Walker Institute will publish a Community Report Card, which will be distributed to area residents. This Community Report Card will make accessible to the public the work of monitoring and evaluating our community progress in making Kalamazoo a more livable and sustainable community. The Community Report Card will present key indicators in the categories of Poverty Measurement, Human Services, Education, Housing, and Health, allowing residents to gain an overview of the more detailed community indicators and information the database will collect and map for the value of agencies, service providers, and funders. In a time when state, county, township, and city budgets are dwindling, collaboration is one resource that remains intact. The Communtiy Indicators System provides a resource that will help all area human service efforts by enhancing their abillity to collaborate with other area programs, and best modify their activities to respond to the most pressing needs of our residents.