In January 2022, the Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency (CASR) launched its Rapid Assessments Pilot in Sun Valley. This project, funded by the Climate Protection Fund (CPF), is the first of its kind. Rapid Assessments aimed to:
Engage and empower local residents and partners to tell the city how best to invest CPF funding in their neighborhood.
The information generated from the Rapid Assessments serve as a “snapshot” of community priorities and challenges —from the perspective of neighborhood adults, youth and workers. The discussions in each community were open forum, and nothing was off limits. Adults and youth were compensated for their time.
The feedback helps the city meet communities where they are, and is used to:
The Rapid Assessment discussions in East Colfax were facilitated by the East Colfax Neighborhood Association between July and September of 2022 at the Counterpath Community Center. Approximately 44 people participated, 39 of whom were community residents. All age groups were represented, with youth under 18 years old representing about 22% of participants.
The Rapid Assessment discussions in Elyria and Swansea were facilitated by The Green House Connection Center at its neighborhood Center between the end of July and October of 2022. Approximately 86 people participated, 81 of whom were community residents. All age groups were represented, with youth under 18 years old making about 40% of participants.
The Rapid Assessment discussions in Globeville were facilitated by the Birdseed Collective at the Globeville Center between June and July of 2023. Approximately 62 people participated, 58 of whom were community residents. All age groups were represented, with youth representing about 40% of total participants.
The Rapid Assessment discussions in Montbello were facilitated by the Montbello Organizing Committee between September and July of 2023. Approximately 62 people participated, with more than 50 being community residents.
The Rapid Assessment discussions in Northeast Park Hill were facilitated by Lincoln Hills Cares and CASR between June and July of 2022 at the Hiawatha Davis Jr. Recreational Center. Approximately 45 people participated, 38 of whom were community residents. All age groups were represented, but the vast majority of participants were adults over 60 years of age, all lifelong residents of the community. A separate meeting was also facilitated with representatives of local institutions including Hiawatha Davis Recreational Center, Mo' Betta Green MarketPlace, Denver Police Department District 2, and the Dahlia Campus for Health and Well-Being.
The Rapid Assessment discussions in Sun Valley were facilitated by the Sun Valley Kitchen Kitchen + Community Center between January and February of 2023. In total approximately 58 people participated, about 40 of whom were community residents. One meeting was held just for youth participants, and two other meetings with neighborhood adults and institutional community partners, including representatives of local institutions such as Namaste Solar, Sun Valley Youth Center, Sun Valley Neighborhood Coalition, and Denver Housing Authority.
Community voice not being recognized and lack of training and outreach for solution implementation
The Rapid Assessment discussions in Valverde were facilitated by the Valverde Neighborhood Association in August of 2022 at Life-Line’s Youth Empowerment Center. Approximately 58 people participated, 48 of whom were community residents. All age groups were represented, with youth representing about 40% of participants.
The Rapid Assessment discussions in Villa Park were hosted by the Villa Park Neighborhood Association and facilitated by the Dr. Justina Ford (JF) STEM Institute and CASR in August of 2022. Meetings were held at Presentation of our Lady Catholic Church (institutional stakeholders), Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales Branch Library (adults), and the Barnum Recreation Center (youth). In total approximately 42 people participated, 32 of whom were residents of the community and 10 workers from the non-profit and private sectors who serve the Villa Park neighborhood. All age groups were represented, with about half of the participants being youth (25%) and 65 years or older (24%).
The Rapid Assessment discussions in West Colfax were facilitated by the West Colfax Association of Neighbors between September and October of 2023 at Confluence Ministries (adults and institutional stakeholders) and Lake Middle School (youth). Approximately 70 people participated, about 55 of whom were community residents. All age groups were represented, with youth representing about 35% of participants.
The Rapid Assessment discussions in Westwood were facilitated by ReVision in their community center in Morrison Road in October of 2023. Approximately 64 people participated, 85% of whom were community residents. All age groups were represented, with youth representing almost 40% of participants.