Neighborhood Survey Results!

Is not knowing the results of the neighborhood survey keeping you up at night? Don’t worry, you can rest now and hit that REM state to dream about future neighborhood gatherings and helping to create a thriving community. Last year the MSA Neighborhood Association received a grant from Southeast Uplift to develop and deliver a survey to our residents. Rose Community CDC, the Portland Enrichment Project, and Mt. Scott Community Center (MSCC) were also project partners that helped with translation, survey development, and the free day passes to those that participated to MSCC. Neighborhood volunteers developed the questions, stuffed and delivered a little over 1,000 surveys, analyzed the data and planned a survey results party that took place last month at the Bob White Theater – over 100 people attended this event! We didn’t hit every household in the neighborhood (we also had the survey online), but we did received almost 200 survey responses back. This is actually a GREAT response rate from our neighbors and a big kudos to all of you that participated. Hope you have used that free day pass to MSCC! (scroll to the bottom of post to see view the results).

The MSA Neighborhood Association is using the survey to better connect neighbors through interests and neighborhood functions, how we can improve our communication efforts so that all of you can participate or get access to information about neighborhood and city-wide happenings, and prioritizing future neighborhood projects that relate to issues and concerns. A few of highlights of the survey results are:

• Most of you receive your information about the neighborhood by word of mouth, our Blog, neighborhood posters, and Facebook  
• Lack of neighborhood events, time, and other social settings such as businesses and restaurants are preventing neighbors from connecting with each other and our community. 
• Lack of time again is the biggest barrier for people from participation in our Neighborhood Association. · Safety; neighborhood appearance; economic develop, and access to healthy food ranked as the highest concerns. 
• Sustainability features, activities and interest groups, and social gatherings are things that would improve the quality of life in our neighborhood. 

The MSA Neighborhood Association continues to be actively involved in the issues and concerns that neighbors raise. The Mt. Scott Arleta Foot Patrol has formed. This group of ten neighbors has been patrolling our streets once a month reporting graffiti, abandoned vehicles, street lights that are out, etc. to the appropriate city and community services. The MSA Communications team is meeting and discussing additional ways to engage all of you and we have several neighborhood sustainability projects that are happening such as the Arleta School Garden, the Arleta Triangle Project, and the Alley Allies project which if focusing on how to creatively utilize neighborhood alleyways. MSA board members also serve on other city and community committees focusing on efforts such as economic development, transportation and sustainability. If you want to be get involved be on the lookout for future opportunities – the neighborhood clean-up is coming up and the idea of having a street clean up the morning of is being tossed around. There is also talk of hosting a summer BBQ or Block Party because we heard from folks that neighborhood events are vital in our community building efforts.  More information will be posted through all of our communication outlets as we approach spring and summer.

 Part of the survey included a section for neighbors to indicate any interest or groups that they would like to be a part of. We emailed neighbors who selected certain interests in hopes that a person will “champion” the lead and get people together for a dog walk, knitting, or some crafting, etc. If you have become a point contact person for a group, please let us know and we can post meet-ups on our blog and Facebook, etc. Please leave comments about ideas that you have about neighborhood social gatherings or projects below.

Thanks again to those who participated in the survey and another big thanks to our neighborhood volunteers who give their time no matter how long it may be, because every minute we can get we are grateful for.

 “We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles, rather than by the quality of our service relationship to humanity.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Survey Results by MSA Neighborhood Association Volunteers