Mobile Home Communities of Carver County: A Needs Assessment

Abstract

This project was completed as part of the 2015-2016 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with Carver County. In 2014, Carver County received Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) funding to improve engagement with residents of manufactured home communities. The goal of this project was to determine the current demographics and health needs of residents in four manufactured home communities located in Carver County. Carver County project lead Tami LaGow collaborated with a master of public health student in the Public Health Administration and Policy program to conduct focus groups in the mobile home parks. These focus groups yielded strategies and recommendations for Carver County Public Health to better engage with residents, including creating programming based on the interests of residents, forming relationships with residents, forming relationships with social and ethnic communities in Carver County, and making time for genuine engagement. The students' final report and poster are available.