By LAUREN CAPPUCCIO
@LCappuccioPO
SHIPPENSBURG — A committee of the Shippensburg Community Resource Coalition is working toward improving social service and youth programs in the Shippensburg Area School District.
Representatives of the group spoke to Shippensburg Borough Council Tuesday night to explain the process.
The Community Assessment Committee is a branch of the organization formed in 2009 as a result of some members of the community looking into whether there was a need for a homeless shelter in town. While the information did not indicate a need for one, the organization came to the conclusion that the area did have a need for coordinating and expanding existing resources to create a central “community resource center.”
“It is a collaborative effort to provide social services, counseling programs and youth programs,” said Liz Fisher, member of the committee and an associate professor of social work and gerontology at Shippensburg University. Other members include Michelle Mosher and Linda Butts, director of Shippensburg’s Head Start program, who was in attendance.
Fisher had come with several students who will be assisting in working on the project and spoke to council to inform members of the plan, which includes surveys sent to individuals in the area.
The surveys, she said, will be sent with the help of local businesses, put online and utilize human service programs.
“We are trying to get folks who live within the Shippensburg Area School District. Our first step is to hold three community meetings,” Fisher said.
The meetings include sit-downs with human service providers, church leaders, business representatives and a meeting with the general public.
“We are excited to see how this community assessment taps into all of the different organizations,” Fisher said.
Focus groups, led by students, are scheduled to take place during the fall.
Members of council offered their support for the project, citing the possible inclusion of a link to the survey on council’s website.