Needs Assessment of East New York and Brownsville

The YWCA of the City of New York is dedi­cated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for citizens through­out New York City's five boroughs. The YWCA is working with the City of New York to apply for a federal Promise Neighborhood Planning Grant to serve the communities of East New York and Brownsville, Brooklyn. The YWCA requested that the Capstone team conduct a needs assess­ment of these communities that could be used as part of the application. The Capstone team conducted research about the demographic breakdown of the region, the political and programmatic history of Promise Neighborhoods, and best prac­tices around needs assessment and com­munity interviews. The team then interviewed community leaders and surveyed commu­nity members. The quantitative and quali­tative data gathered will inform both the types of programs established by the YWCA and the funding applications to sup­port these programs. The final report pro­vided the YWCA with a phased strategy for executing the Promise Neighborhood plan­ning process and identifying potential partners for its implementation.