Riverside County residents urged to complete needs assessment survey for chance to win $50 gift card

Riverside, CA – Riverside County residents are being asked to participate in a needs assessment survey that will help officials learn more about the community and areas where services can be better directed.

To take the survey, click www.capriverside.org.

The confidential, 63-question survey touches on everything from housing to income, medical care and transportation. The survey is being conducted by the County of Riverside Community Action Partnership (CAP) in collaboration with the UC Riverside School of Public Policy’s Blum Initiative on Global and Regional Poverty.

In addition to providing much-needed information, those who take part in the survey have a chance to win a $50 gift card, which has been donated by CAPStars Foundation for Economic Stability.

“The information that is gathered will provide a snapshot of the needs of the community and will help us better understand where and how to provide improved services,” said Kim Saruwatari, director of Riverside University Health System-Public Health. CAP is part of RUHS-Public Health. “The survey takes only a few minutes and will provide vital data.”

The community needs assessment was designed by the Blum Initiative, with a team of researchers from the UCR School of Public Policy’s Master of Public Policy program.

“The 2019 survey applies international best practices for the study of the causes and consequences of poverty to Riverside County,” said David Brady, director of the UCR Blum Initiative and professor of Public Policy. “We’re excited to partner with CAP and to bridge research and practice in a way that benefits our community.”

Among the findings of the 2017 survey:

• 56.1 percent had income at $30K or below
• 68 percent listed mental health care access as an issue
• 55.89 percent listed dental care access as an issue

Of those surveyed in Spanish:

• 72.34 percent had income at $30K or below
• 40.66 percent said they did not have any savings
• 44.57 percent felt that they were unable to get dental care

The survey is conducted every two years and the results will be reported to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors later this year.

To take the survey, click www.capriverside.org.

Once participants take the survey, they can enter for a chance to win a $50 gift card by sending their name, phone number and email address to Mark Berndt at msberndt@capriverside.org.