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Introduction, Background, and Summary Archive

Introduction, Background, and Summary Files

Introduction - Goals and Approach

Modified on 03 May 2011

Introduction – Goals and Approach:  In this section, we describe the DuPage Funders’ Collaboration, which provided leadership for the Community Assessment, we describe why we completed the Assessment, we define the target population of the data presented in the document, and we provide a basic definition of the “health and human services sector.”  We also outline what we hoped to accomplish by this presentation of information, and we describe the basic structure of the Needs assessment.

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Background - External Demographic and Economic Trends

Modified on 27 June 2011

Background – External Demographic and Economic Trends:  We present information on five important trends affecting the DuPage and West Cook area.  First, rapid increases in the numbers of low-income people (at or near poverty) are straining the health and human services system.  Second, while the DuPage senior population is growing at a very rapid rate, many parts of West Cook are seeing some declines in the senior population and higher numbers of children and youth.  These shifts have implications for programs for seniors as well as for children and youth.  Third, rapidly increasing ethnic and cultural diversity (with “new neighbors” accounting for essentially all of the population growth in the last two decades) is requiring new competencies in education, government, human services, and the marketplace.  Fourth, the local economy is “maturing” and is less insulated from national trends.  Moving forward, it will be important to emphasize sustainability and preparing our changing workforce for the next generation of jobs.  Fifth, the reality of diminished government budgets and lagging of funding from both public and private sources (i.e., not yet recognizing the growth in suburban need) is requiring new approaches to raising resources for the changing population.

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Summary - Conclusions and Recommendations

Modified on 02 September 2010

Summary – Conclusions and Recommendations:  We summarize, and outline the importance of, four overarching trends from the Assessment.  These are: (a) demographic changes (larger numbers of economically disadvantaged persons, increased racial and ethnic diversity, and more senior citizens) are occurring very rapidly in DuPage; (b) a growing segment of the DuPage population is not sharing in the general health and prosperity of the county, and these disparities are often related to racial and ethnic factors; (c) the DuPage human service sector seems to be under-funded in many areas and, consequently, is lagging behind the more urban parts of the region in meeting critical needs; and (d) the growth of the senior population in DuPage is already having impacts, but the most substantial impacts are still to come.  There are also four recommended strategies, which are: (a) develop and implement a plan to disseminate and promote the Community Assessment’s key findings and recommended strategies; (b) build a cross-sector organizational structure that emphasizes education from birth to career; (c) prepare for an older population; and (d) find new resources and new methods of addressing health and human services needs.

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Theresa Nihill
Chairperson

Kathleen McGowan
Immediate Past Chairperson

Candace M. King
Executive Director

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The Federation's mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people in DuPage County by leveraging relationships and knowledge to build an effective and efficient health and human service system.

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