Evaluating Resident Power as a Driver of Place-Based Social and Policy Change in California

Background: Due to extreme health needs, central and west Long Beach (LB) participate in The California Endowment’s (TCE) 10-year, Building Healthy Communities (BHC) place-based, resident-led, policy and systems change initiative. BHC uses a theoretical framework prioritizing “drivers” of social change, including building resident power. Hence, BHCLB sought to establish a baseline for resident power.

Methods: Community residents and organizational partners collaborated to define resident power, establish indicators, and develop a survey to measure three core ingredients of resident power: engagement, leadership development, and influence. The survey was administered in English, Spanish, and Khmer.  We highlight results pertaining to resident engagement in this presentation. 

Results: Seventy-seven residents completed surveys in June-November 2013; 67.5% were female, over 20% were <24 years of age, and 40.3% were Cambodian, 39.0% Latino and 16.9% African American. The majority of respondents agreed resident involvement was valued (84.4%) and important (90.9%) to the success of BHCLB.  However, only 31% believed enough residents were involved, while 39.8% agreed enough residents had lead roles. Most felt good about residents’ roles in choosing goals and objectives (87.1%) and decision-making (76.9%).  Fewer respondents (68.8%) thought their views were sought by BHCLB leadership.

Conclusion: Respondents reported a high level of personal involvement, but noted improvements could be made in the numbers and leadership roles of residents. This is the first time resident power has been systematically measured by BHCLB and results will allow BHCLB to assess changes over time. Learning communities are being established to explore results and to strategize future improvements.