PHILIPSBURG--The district needs assessment surveys currently underway as part of the Integrated Neighbourhood Development Programme (INDP) were completed in Dutch Quarter and Belvedere recently.
The needs assessment survey is an essential part of INDP. The survey consists of research and systematic consultation with community residents, stakeholders and project organisations to identify the social problems, the needs of the various persons living in the targeted neighbourhoods, their housing needs, as well as existing agencies and available programmes to deal with these problems.
Sixteen community development staff members were trained recently to carry out the surveys. The surveys are ongoing in Cole Bay and Cay Bay, with Down Street and Over the Pond scheduled to start next week.
The primary objective is to increase the quality of life in low-income communities. Three Community Help Desk officers will be able to efficiently provide assistance to those in need and Community Help Desks will be opened in three communities in the coming weeks and months.
This effort by government is seen as a national effort to tackle the social issues faced by communities in need, by helping individuals who face challenges. The surveys will provide information with respect to what the problems of the residents entail, the consistency and magnitude of the problems, and the total number of vulnerable groups.
The target groups that have been identified are the elderly, youths and parents, single mothers, teenage mothers, drug addicts, chronically ill patients, the mentally ill, and persons living below the minimum wage or the poverty level.
Surveys carried out in the past also have identified that many problems surround aspects of criminality, immigration and undocumented persons, unemployment, etc. Problem areas also can be domestic violence, child abuse, divorce, legal aspects related to alimony, labour disputes and school dropouts.
The INDP project is responsible for the improvement of the neighbourhoods. It is a proactive process of integrating social, cultural, economic and environmental planning to build community commitment and capacity.
The intention is to contribute to the development of the neighbourhoods by creating a closer and stronger tie with the people and organisations existing within the neighbourhoods where assessments are being or already have been carried out.
An holistic approach has been developed to provide assistance to communities in need. The INDP falls under the responsibilities of Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams and Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Cornelius de Weever.
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