SOC 316: Community Research

“1999 Homelessness Count and Needs Assessment of Middlesex County”

for Middletown Supportive Housing Coalition

by Mollie Finnan, Patrick Keegan, Sarah Leberstein, and José Stevenson Rodríguez

The Middletown Supportive Housing Coalition (MSHC) is a coalition of Greater Middletown’s homeless advocates and social service agencies that provides a “Continuum of Care” for the area’s homeless individuals and families. The MSHC receives funding for its continuum of care programs primarily from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This year, the coalition enlisted the support of four students from Wesleyan University in conducting a count and needs assessment of the county’s homeless population.

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“Children’s Home of Cromwell: A Consumer Satisfaction Assessment”

for Children’s Home of Cromwell

by Hannah Blitzer, Lauren Langbaum, Daniela Lewy, and Samantha Wright

The Children’s Home of Cromwell (CHOC) is a residential treatment center for children, ages 8 to 18, who are unable to live with their families due to abuse, neglect, or delinquency. CHOC addresses the educational, emotional, physical, social, and behavioral needs of the children through participation in school, therapy, and various other activities. In order to determine the efficacy of its program, CHOC commissioned four Wesleyan students to conduct a thorough consumer satisfaction assessment of four divisions of CHOC’s clientele: the children, their families, DCF (Department of Children and Families), and school districts. This was accomplished through the administration of surveys to all four groups. The final compilation of data includes eighty-one children’s surveys, fourteen parents’ surveys, 15 school district surveys, and 19 DCF surveys.

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“Justice for 29 Connecticut Janitors: The Workers’ Stories”

for Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 531

by Anna Hackett, Krista Hanson, Nomi Maeyama, Benjamin Paradise

A group of four Wesleyan students, as consultants to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 531, researched the situation of subcontracted janitors employed by Initial Cleaning Services at Wesleyan University. At the time of our research, the Initial janitors had recently won union recognition and representation, and the union was negotiating a contract with Initial. After conducting a review of pertinent literature, we realized that in prior research the voices of workers had been absent. The purpose of our study was to “add a seat to the research table,” giving workers a voice in the literature and discussion of their rights and struggles. The research culminated in a half-hour video documentary.

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“Recycling in Single-Family Housing Units in Middletown, Connecticut”

for Middletown Department for Public Works

by Amy Brezin, Liz Donnelly, Josh Lerner, and Aditi Mehta

The Wesleyan Research Group conducted a three-week study of recycling setout rates for single family units in Middletown, CT. This project was performed for the Middletown Department of Public Works because material reported for recycling has decreased statewide in recent years. We aimed to answer the question: What are the recycling setout rates in urban, suburban, and rural areas of Middletown, and what factors account for differences between these rates?

“North End Action: A Community Speaks”

for North End Action Team

by Elizabeth Collins, Emily Hawkins, Eric Hoover, and JoAnn Kamuf

The student researchers were enlisted by the North End Action Team, a community organization, to collect data, including the demographics of the specified North End neighborhood, and an evaluation of community needs. This information is vital for neighborhood planning because it uncovers the current status of the North End from the viewpoint of the people who live there. These data show the strength and weakness of the North End and can be used by the community organizers and urban planners working in the neighborhood.

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“Investigating Afterschool Patterns, Youth Wants and Needs, and Attendance at the Middletown Youth Center”

for Middletown Youth Center

by Eliza Botsford, Caleb Englander, Hilary Mitchell, and Marcel Paret

In a joint project involving Wesleyan University and the Middletown Youth Center (MYC), four Wesleyan students set out to study attendance at the Middletown Youth Center. Since the opening of the Middletown Youth Center in May 1999, the set of 400 students that signed on during the grand opening has dwindled to a group of 40 students that attend the center on a regular basis. The goal of the project is to answer the following question: Why don’t more youth from private and technical schools attend the MYC, and what can the MYC do to attract them?

“Vitalizing Longevity: Baby Boomers Redefining and Envisioning the Future”

for Middletown Senior Center

by Varuna Anand, Amanda Chiu, Peter Rosenblatt, Wichuda Wichaidit

This study was conducted by a group of four Wesleyan students as part of the Community Research Seminar, in collaboration with the Middletown Senior Center and the City of Middletown, to study the needs, interests, and attitudes of Middletown Baby Boomers (those born between the years of 1946-1959) in the years to come. Interviews covered a wide array of areas, including education, finances, work and retirement, housing, community services, and leisure activities. One hundred Middletown Baby Boomers were interviewed, 63 female and 37 male. Seven Baby Boomers then participated in a follow-up focus group for the purpose of clarifying and probing deep

“Creating Recreational Space in the North End: A Survey of Residents’ Visions and Concerns”

for North End Action Team

by Jen Barkan, Ann Chen, Alissa Kronovet, and Erin Larkin

This study was conducted by a team of student researchers at Wesleyan University on behalf of the North End Action Team (NEAT), a grassroots community organization based in the North End neighborhood of Middletown, CT. The purpose of the study was to gather information from North End residents regarding what type of open and/or recreational space they would like to see in their neighborhood.

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“Middlesex Community Access Program”

for Middlesex Community Access Program

by Joanne Alcantara, Lauren Briskin, Sarah Norr, and Martha Paz

The purpose of this study is to explore the qualitative difference that the Middlesex Community Access Program (M-CAP) has made in the lives of its target population, namely the uninsured and underinsured people of Middlesex County. Qualitative information about the lives of M-CAP clients shows both the strengths of M-CAP and areas where services might be improved.

“A Report for the Eddy Shelter”

for The Eddy Shelter

by Amy Cirincone, Ruth Corley, Wesley Look, and Mia Unger

We studied how the Eddy Shelter, a thirty-day and thirty-bed emergency shelter serving single adults in Middlesex County, can improve its services to help guests transition out of the Shelter and into more stable living conditions. Thirty interviews were completed with current and former Eddy Shelter guests. Research and analysis were conducted by four students in the Community Research Seminar at Wesleyan University.

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