Your One-Stop Shop for Total Well-being:
Resources and Community all under one roof!
Did you know community “Resource Hubs” benefit the local economy, improve service reach, and promote resource sharing? A Resource Hub is a One-Stop Shop that provides health and social support, economic resources, and community building, all under one roof. Help us plan our way to a Grand Community!
The Grand County Rural Health Network is exploring the possibility of establishing a centralized building for government and nonprofit social services, businesses, and other community uses and resources. We started thinking about this concept over twenty years ago! Many community needs assessments have supported a Resource Hub as a potential solution. The big picture concept is to relocate or incorporate community services and businesses into this centralized Hub.
From July to November 2023, the Network conducted a Phase I planning process to re-engage and understand the level of support for a Centralized building in the community. We worked with The Steadman Group, a Colorado-based consulting firm with expertise in community health, behavioral health, and collaborative building concepts and implementation. The Steadman Group created a findings report based on Phase I planning. Please scroll down for summary findings and the full report. Phase II plans include Partner Commitments, Feasibility Study, a Business Plan, Fundraising Plan, and Community Engagement Plan.
Unfortunately Phase II is on pause until funds can be secured. The Network applied for a grant administered by Colorado’s Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) but learned in January that we were not selected for funding. Since then, we have applied for other state grant opportunities and should hear by mid-April if our application is accepted.
If you would like to stay informed on the planning process, please sign up for email updates by clicking the link below.
Phase I Summary
Phase I included focus groups of people who would use the building, one in English and one in Spanish, three stakeholder meetings, and a stakeholder survey. The goal of Phase I was to identify level of community support, educate the community on the model, and identify partners and level of interest. Overall, community support was positive. The majority (82%) of survey respondents either strongly support or support the idea of a centralized building for various social and community services in Grand County.
Click here to view the Executive Summary. For the full Grand County Business and Resource Hub Report, click the button below.
Focus Groups
The Network and the Steadman Group conducted two focus group meetings in September. The purpose of these focus groups was to refresh the knowledge of the experiences and needs of people who would use a hub. In addition, the focus group findings informed the next steps in the project, including the stakeholder meetings, recommendations on a feasibility framework, the stakeholder survey, and the report recommendations. Participants also provided basic anonymized demographic information that spanned age, sex, family status, and other categories, including residence. Facilitators asked the focus groups questions on, e.g., their current challenges, services needs, location of the hub, important hub design features, and amenities.
Stakeholder Survey
We distributed a Stakeholder Survey throughout the community in early November to gauge the level of support or involvement of potential partners and tenants in the Business and Resource Hub Centralized Building. We will use data from this survey to solidify commitments as we take our next steps towards making this building a reality. Check back here for future updates.
Stakeholder Meetings
We engaged all types of stakeholders through focus groups and public planning meetings, and learned more about the Grand County community’s needs, thoughts on feasibility, economic benefits, and support. Meetings took place October 11 and 12, 2023, and over 45 partners, stakeholders and community members attended. Click here to view the Stakeholder meeting presentation.
Concept History
The Co-located business and resource hub continues to arise as a community need to better support Grand County, Colorado’s service organizations and businesses. Community members impacted by social barriers (e.g. housing, transportation and income, etc.) have identified the need of a Resource Hub to make applying for and receiving social services more accessible and efficient for community members and service organizations. A Resource Hub is a priority strategy identified by stakeholders and impacted community members in our recent communitywide behavioral health strategic plan to significantly improve mental health individually and as a community.
Co-located or centralized buildings are evidence-based models proven to help improve access to services and resources, reduce organizational costs, and improve the local economy. We can and will model our centralized building after existing models!
Resources listed below can help you understand centralized buildings’ research and models:
- Why Nonprofit Centers Matter to Communities
- 2016 Perception Survey Results
- Ownership structure and model examples
Please contact Jen Fanning or Christine Smith by email or phone: 970-725-3477 if you have any questions.