East Texas Human Needs Network

Reduce the number of percentage of people living in poverty. Currently working primarily in Smith County, but reach extends throughout the 27-county East Texas area.

Collective action - engaging cross-sector organizations, researching community needs, agreeing on problems and solutions, communicating effectively, and measuring results.

Improving understanding of poverty - reduce the stigma associated with poverty, develop relationships of mutual respect, together we can create a better future for all.

Improving access to information - developed an online social services directory where partners maintain accurate data in a language that those they serve will understand. Including a Help Form to identify areas of crisis and what organizations can help. Ensuring that social services providers ask all the questions needed to serve the whole person, not just provide the service that their organization provides.

Effective engagement through communication in an environment of trust and transparency. Design and implementation of a needs assessment that receives institutional review board approval from the University of Texas at Tyler. Coordinating regular monthly meetings of Councils in Education, Employment, Healthcare, Housing, Behavioral Health, and Transportation.

Certified trainers in aha! Process Bridges Out of Poverty, Bridges to Health and Healthcare, and Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin' By World, as well as the Missouri Community Action Poverty Simulation.

Designed, implemented and manage 903HELP.org with technical support from Simon Solutions, home of Charity Tracker.

Started the summer of 2012 with 23 organizations. Incorporated into a 501c3 in December of 2014. Currently, have more than 90 organizations engaged in our Human Needs Network.

We've completed three tri-annual comprehensive community needs assessments with institutional review board approval. The data provided the top needs and goals for councils in Education, Employment, Healthcare, Housing, and Transportation. (Summer 2022 is the next scheduled needs assessment.)

We've provided training for understanding poverty to non-profit staff, volunteers, and board members, schools, universities, medical schools, businesses, juvenile parole offices, and more. We continue to receive requests for training throughout our community and from neighboring Texas Counties.

We designed and implemented a social services directory that meets the needs of social services providers and the population at large. The directory currently covers two counties in Texas. We plan to expand to two additional Counties and are receiving requests for support from other cities, including some out of the state of Texas.

We believe we've designed a model that can be replicated. Collective action, including training to understand poverty, and a social services resources directory come together to effect collective impact. We will continue to replicate the process as long as it continues to help and as long as we have the resources available to help all those willing to work together to prevent, reduce, and eliminate poverty.