Surveys & Assessments
Surveys and assessments of our Siuslaw community help us define our community needs. Please see more information on specific surveys and assessments below!
Pathways to Community Vitality Inventory Survey Data
In April of 2014, a Ford Institute Alumni Celebration was held in Florence, Oregon, reuniting nonprofit and governmental leaders, volunteers, and engaged community members from throughout western Lane County.
From this event, a strong consensus emerged: it was time for action. A core “Go Team” formed and selected the Pathways to Community Vitality program offered by The Ford Family Foundation to move forward. Pathways was chosen largely because of its inventory feature; by surveying the community, it was hoped consensus would arise, as it had at the Alumni event.
The inventory process was successful, with more than 700 local residents participating and completing the survey. Throughout the process, consensus remained universal: a need for a resident-led shared vision was vital.
Workforce & Economic Development Reports
Every two years, Lane Workforce Partnership publishes the State of the Workforce Report for Lane County. The report offers insights into the quality of Lane County’s workforce, industry growth projections, and the challenges and opportunities in key sectors such as Bioscience, Construction-Aggregate, Food and Beverage, Healthcare, and more.
Survey of Child Care Needs in the Siuslaw
Take the Survey of Child Care Training Needs in Siuslaw
Are you interested in opening a family child care program or a child care center in Florence and the Siuslaw region? Or maybe you have always wanted to work in a preschool or child care program? Being a child care provider and early educator is a rewarding career with many benefits! Support is available — let us know what you need.
Community Health Assessments
Lane County has two Community Health Assessments (CHA) and Community Health Improvement Plans (CHP) that include data from the Siuslaw region. Siuslaw Vision partners with both organizations to help ensure our community’s needs are documented.
- Live Healthy Lane and the 100% Health Community Coalition publish the Lane County Community Health Plan.
- The 2021-2025 CHP for Lane County identifies priority issues that need to be addressed to improve health in Lane County. It also outlines how to respond to these priorities by providing a road map of related key strategies and actions the community can take. The CHP was developed using available data (the CHA) and a robust community engagement process. This document is not meant to be a work plan, but a menu of actions that, taken together as a community, have the potential to achieve Live Healthy Lane’s vision of: Working together to create a caring community where all people can live a healthier life.
- PeaceHealth Medical Center also publishes a Community Needs Assessment and Health Improvement Plan.
ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Data
ALICE households (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) are households that earn more than the U.S. poverty level, but less than the basic cost of living for the county. Combined, the number of poverty and ALICE households equals the total population struggling to afford basic needs.
According to a 2024 report from United Way and its research partner United For ALICE, 75,317 or 47% of Lane County households are struggling to make ends meet.
Impact of Education in the Siuslaw Region
Siuslaw Vision convened a team of community members in the spring of 2018 to evaluate the Vision’s impact on education in the Siuslaw Region. Working with consultants from Dialogues in Action, the volunteer group learned evaluation techniques and designed and implemented an evaluation of the Educated People element of the Siuslaw Vision. The purpose was to identify gaps in education offerings and reveal themes, opportunities, and needs. Read the report here.
