<P> A community needs assessment can be broadly categorized into three types based on their respective starting points: First, needs assessments which aim to discover weaknesses within the community and create a solution (Community Needs Assessment I). Second, needs assessments which are structured around and seek to address an already known problem or potential problem facing the community (Community Needs Assessment II). Third, needs assessments of an organization which serves the community (domestic violence centers, community health clinics etc .) (Community Needs Assessment III). </P> <P> Community needs assessments are generally executed in four steps: planning and organizing, data collection, coding and summarizing the needs assessment results, and sharing the results with the community to facilitate action planning . During the planning and organizing phase stakeholders are identified, local organizations and / or local government begin to collaborate . Depending on the type of needs assessment being conducted one can tailor their approach . </P> <P> Community needs assessment I--This type of needs assessment seeks to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses within a community and create or improve services based on the identified weaknesses . Organizing this type of needs assessment is primarily structured around how to best obtain information, opinions, and input from the community and then what to do with that information . This process may be broken into targeted questions which can direct the project overall . The following are sample questions taken from "A Community Needs Assessment Guide" from The Center for Urban Research & Learning: </P> <Ul> <Li> Define goals for the needs assessment . </Li> <Li> What is the specific purpose of the needs assessment? </Li> <Li> How will the data from the community be used; to set a new agenda, support a new program or support new changes in service delivery or policies? </Li> <Li> What is the timeline for the needs assessment? </Li> <Li> If applicable, identify the target population . How will a sample from the population be chosen? Are there any special considerations which need to be considered in the most effective way to approach / obtain information and cooperation from said population? </Li> </Ul>

Common issues that can affect your needs assessment approach include