Five County Community Action Partnership

2022 Community Needs Assessment

1. What are the major data changes from baseline? (prior needs assessment)

Decrease in job growth throughout the state, particularly notable in Garfield County; Increase in unemployment rates.

2. What contributed to these changes?

• Increase in unemployment rate throughout Five County area, largely due to pandemic.
• Job growth in Garfield County suffered more than the other counties in our service area in 2020 due to the fact that it is largely dependent on tourism. During the Covid-19 pandemic, leisure and hospitality services in the tourist county lost roughly 250 job positions.

3. What barriers (specific to income) were made clear by the data?

According to a public forum in Beaver County, Lack of GED/High School Diploma due to generational farmers who didn’t see a need to complete school since they could make a good living without it. 

4. What gaps in service were noted for this issue?

• Limited living-wage employment opportunities (plenty of low-paying work without benefits)
• Livable wages
• Limited knowledge of job skills trainings available.  
• Minimal job growth opportunities

5. Are there individual/family/community unmet needs in this area?

• Adult continued education/GED programs in rural counties.
• Lack of available childcare with flexible hours
• Lack of public transportation in the rural areas, and limited public transportation in the counties that offer bus services.

6. What linkages (including partnerships) are needed to address barriers, gaps, and unmet need

• Department of Workforce Services – Local American Job Centers
• Southwest Applied Technology College
• Dixie Applied Technical College
• Utah State University Extension – Rural Online Initative
• School Districts (adult high schools)
• Red Rock Center for Independence and other programs that assist people with special needs
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Deseret Industries
• Steppingstones Childcare in Washington County (24/7)
• Care About ChildCare – Five County AOG (inter-departmental)

7. From reviewing the employment data, what your agency learned about the root cause of poverty in your community?

Lack of opportunity for job advancements to allow individuals to pull themselves out of poverty. That lack of opportunity could be attributed to criminal history, mental health, substance use, childcare, vital records/documentation, transportation, lack of needed skillset.