It is the dawn of a new era in our community; one that presents us with unprecedented challenges and requires each of us to step up our resolve to address these priorities. The Franklin Grand Isle United Way is once again pleased to provide this community needs assessment, detailing our region’s demographics and needs. In addition, we have begun to transform this assessment to reflect and report on action being taken by our many partners around our most pressing local needs.

As you read through this document, you will notice it is divided into impact areas within Franklin and Grand Isle Counties. As the United Way transitions strategically to an impact organization, we realize the need to reassess how to utilize community investment of people, dollars and alliances in the work that we do. This change in how we report community needs reflects that direction we as an organization must take to ensure a thriving, sustainable region.

The “Parable of the River” tells a story of a village, similar to our own communities, needing to make a shift in focus and investment to get at the root cause of their villagers drowning. I encourage you to read and carry this story with you as you roam. Share it with your colleagues, neighbors, family and friends. This simple, yet riveting story, speaks to where we as a community must and will go. This document then leads you into the areas of Demographics, Immediate Needs (Shelter, Food, and Safety), Income, Education and Health. Within these areas you will see a snap shot of current statistics, data and a closer in-depth look at what we are doing about it.

Also, Northwestern Medical Center, who previously was required to conduct a separate needs assessment, is now able to adopt this Community Needs Assessment to satisfy State requirements. This is another example of reducing duplication, increasing efficiencies, and enhancing our partnerships in our community.

We urge you to use this document as a jumping point for data and assessing our most critical needs. You will find a comprehensive list of data sources, in the back of this document, to access for a more in depth picture. We have diligently worked to make this document as user- friendly as possible and to provide easy paths to go further in your research around a particular issue.

Open Bridges to Well-Being 2009 Community Needs Assessment in a new window.
(right-click and choose "save as" to download PDF)

Should you have questions or need further assistance with this document, we hope you will contact our local United Way at (802) 527-7419. It is together that we LIVE UNITED.