Introduction to Community Asset Mapping

1
Introduction to Community Asset Mapping

• 26 August 2009
• Mary E. Homan, MA
• Missouri Institute of Mental Health
• University of Missouri School of Medicine

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Differences between needs-based assessment
approach asset-based assessment approach
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What is a community asset?
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Why should community assets be identified?

• External resources are not available
• Identifying and mobilizing community assets
  enables community residents to gain control over
  their lives.
• Improvement efforts are more effective, and
  longer-lasting, when community members dedicate
  their time and talents to changes they desire.
• Provides necessary information allowing people to
  become producers rather than problems.

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When should community assets be identified?

• When you don't know what those assets are
• When talent is underutilized
• When you are unable to provide traditional
  services
• When you want to encourage pride among residents
• When you want to strengthen or build
  relationships

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Questions to think about when identifying assets

• What is the size of our community?
• Who is available to do the work?
• How much time is there for the task?
• How much money is at our disposal?
• What do we want to accomplish?
• Who is this most going to help?
• What are we going to do with the results?

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How do we identify community assets?

• Asset-Based Inventories
• Individual Capacity Inventory
• Community Capacity Inventory

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Individual Capacity Inventory

• A simple survey designed to identify the
  multitude of abilities within each individual
• skills and abilities youve learned through
  experience in the home or with the family,
• skills youve learned at church or elsewhere,
• any skills youve learned on the job.

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Community Capacity Inventory

• Asks Who has a stake in our community?
• Thoroughly documents existing assets resources
• Uses results to plan programs
• Connects skilled community members and
  organizations with people and organizations in
  need of those skills

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Two major stakeholder categories

• Assets and capacities located inside the
  neighborhood, largely under neighborhood control
  (primary)
• Assets located within the community but largely
  controlled by outsiders (secondary)

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Primary Stakeholder Categories
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Secondary Stakeholder Categories
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Potential Resources

• Resources originating outside the neighborhood,
  controlled by outsiders (potential resources)
• Investment developments
• Welfare expenditures
• Public capital improvement expenditures
• Public information

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What do asset maps look like?
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Source University Outreach and Extension at
University of Missouri System and Lincoln
University http//extension.missouri.edu/about/fy0
0-03/assetmapping.htm
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How does GIS help with asset mapping? But first,
what is GIS?
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GIS explained

• GIS (Geographic Information Systems) is a tool
  that allows for the analysis of spatially based
  information
• GIS uses a method of digital mapping that links
  data to their physical location
• This can show you where particular people,
  events, things, or conditions are, and give you
  other information about them as well

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Basic needs of GIS systems

• Hardware with enough power to run the GIS
  software.
• GIS software with the capabilities you need.
• Accurate data, in a form that can be fed into the
  software program.
• People trained to use the GIS system

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Two kinds of data are needed

• The desired physical and political features of
  the map you want. 
• The location information about the other features
  youre interested in.

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Why use GIS in asset mapping?

• GIS can help you determine the how seriously an
  issue affects an area or the community as a whole
• Using a GIS application is the quickest and most
  efficient method of creating maps and similar
  graphics that provide a picture of not only the
  geographic, but of the social, demographic,
  environmental, political, and other aspects of an
  area

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Source Colorado Campus Compact
http//academic.regis.edu/ccc/ACCESS20CO/DenverA
rvadaAssetMaps.htm
24
Mason, Michael, Cheung, Ivan, Walker, Leslie.
(2009). Creating a Geospatial Database of Risks
and Resources to Explore Urban Adolescent
Substance Use. Journal of Prevention
Intervention in the Community. 37(1)21-34.
25
Townley, Greg, Kloos, Bret Wright, Patricia A.
(2009). Understanding the experience of place
Expanding methods to conceptualize and measure
community integration of persons with serious
mental illness. Health Place. 15(2009)
520-531.
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References

• KU Work Group for Community Health and
  Development. (2007). Chapter 3, Section 8
  Identifying Community Assets and Resources.
  Lawrence, KS University of Kansas. Retrieved 6
  August 2009 from the World Wide Web
  http//ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/section_1043.ht
  m.
• KU Work Group for Community Health and
  Development. (2007). Chapter 3, Section 16
  Geographic Information Systems Tools for
  Community Mapping. Lawrence, KS University of
  Kansas. Retrieved 6 August 2009 from the World
  Wide Web http//ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/Table
  ofContents3.16.htm.
• McKnight, John Kretzmann, John. (1996). Mapping
  Community Capacity. Evanston, IL Institute for
  Policy Research, Northwestern University.
  Retrieved 6 August 2009 from World Wide Web
  http//www.northwestern.edu/ipr/publications/paper
  s/mcc.pdf
• Goldman, Karen Denard Schmalz, Kathleen Jahn.
  (2005). Accentuate the Positive! Using an
  Asset-Mapping Tool as Part of a Community-Health
  Needs Assessment. Health Promotion Practice
  6(2)125-128.
• Colorado Campus Campact. (2006). Denver Arvada
  Asset Maps. Denver, CO Regis University.
  Retrieved 21 August 2009 from the World Wide Web
  http//academic.regis.edu/ccc/ACCESS20CO/DenverAr
  vadaAssetMaps.htm.
• Townley, Greg, Kloos, Bret Wright, Patricia A.
  (2009). Understanding the experience of place
  Expanding methods to conceptualize and measure
  community integration of persons with serious
  mental illness. Health Place.
  15(2009)520-531.
• Mason, Michael, Cheung, Ivan, Walker, Leslie.
  (2009). Creating a Geospatial Database of Risks
  and Resources to Explore Urban Adolescent
  Substance Use. Journal of Prevention
  Intervention in the Community. 37(1)21-34.
• Lohmann, Andrew Schoelkopf, Laurie E. (2009).
  GIS A Useful Tool for Community Assessment.
  Journal of Prevention Intervention in the
  Community. 37(1)1-4.
• Quon Huber, Melissa S. et al. (2009). GIS
  Applications for Community-Based Research and
  Action Mapping Change in a Community-Building
  Initiative . Journal of Prevention
  Intervention in the Community. 37(1)5-20.