Courses

“Living in the Community: Clients’ Perceptions of Quality of Life after Discharge under the Community Based Initiative”

for River Valley Services

by Abbie Goldberg, Abigail Kinnebrew, and David Schleifer

Three researchers from Wesleyan University worked with River Valley Services (RVS), a mental health service provider operated by the Connecticut State Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), to assess how community placement has affected the lives of people discharged from Connecticut Valley Hospital (CVH) in 1992 and 1993 under the Community Based Initiative (CBI) program. The study aims to draw a qualitative picture of the lives of these clients in order to gauge the success of deinstitutionalization and community-based care.

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“The North End Report: Resident Concerns, Opinions, and Suggestions About their Community”

for North End Action Team

by Jenna Busch, Mike DiRamio, Susanah Manheim, Bella Pierson, Emily Sharrock

Based on responses from 61 North End residents, we hope to present a guide to the resources and assets of the North End as well as how to improve the community for those who live in it.

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“Breakdown in the System: An Evaluation of Services to People of Color with Mental Retardation”

for MARC Community Resources

by Jodie Langs, Rashida Mendes, Stacey Parris, and Laura Smith

MARC Community Resources approached the Wesleyan Community Research Program with a proposal for a research project addressing the low percentage of people of color utilizing their services. The purpose of our project, as outlined by MARC, was to evaluate MARC’s services to people of color, and to determine the source of under-representation,

“The Precarious Balance of ‘Success’: The Barriers that Middlesex County’s JOBS Program Clients Face in their Move Towards Self-Sufficiency”

for Middlesex County Community Action Group

by Liz Botein, Beth Fine, Emily Lieberman, and Ginna Smith

Our research was designed to study welfare recipients who are working or who have obtained work at some point, and explore what factors help or hinder their transition from public assistance to self-sufficiency. Many barriers affect individuals’ attempts to move toward self-sufficiency. These factors can be structural (quality of and access to affordable childcare, transportation, and education and training) or individual (young motherhood, depression, spousal abuse, etc.) and often are a combination of both…. This report illustrates some of the areas that need to be addressed in order to better help those who are working to move off welfare.

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“Community Needs Assessment: Middlesex County Connecticut”

for Middlesex United Way, Inc.

by Tara Cohen, Ila Jain, Monisha Nariani, and Glenda Oskar

Four students from Wesleyan University worked in collaboration with Middlesex United Way updating the 1995 Comprehensive Needs Assessment. The goal of this partnership was to determine Middlesex County residents’ “perception of need” regarding social problems and services within the community. Our hope is that the 1999 assessment will have a significant impact on the future of Middlesex County by assisting the United Way in allocating funds to social service agencies. The data collected