To better understand the characteristics of the neighborhoods that they serve, the Y developed the Community Insights tool. This geospatial tool visually displays both internal Y data, as well as the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) data, to help local branches make sure resources and programming properly serve community members. The ACS’s unrivaled ability to provide timely and local data for the entire nation provides Y branches across the country the powerful opportunity to understand the unique needs of their communities.

Y Branches access this tool to answer numerous questions. For example, the Crenshaw Family YMCA in Los Angeles, CA has seen shifts in the racial and ethnic compositions of its community using ACS data and makes sure staff and members are representative of that community. Combining ACS data with local YMCA data in the Community Insights Tool, the work to answer this question is all the easier.

Outcome

One of the focuses of the Y is ensuring households are healthy, both physically and mentally. The West Cook YMCA received a $1.27 million grant from the Village of Oak Park, IL in April 2023 to tackle chronic illnesses among community members. Community Insights were used to help West Cook identify the best locations for the program by leveraging ACS demographic variables including total population, poverty rates, and percentage of Medicaid coverage. Higher percentages of residents with Medicaid coverage indicates the need for affordable, quality preventative health care within a community. The intent of the program is to reach more than 20,000 of the 52,000 residents who live in the village who have or who are at risk of diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure. The West Cook Y can get additional details on other communities around them by using data at the census tract level on the number of individuals as well as the percent of the population who do not have access to health insurance.

ACS data puts the “community” into the Community Insights Tool. Ys around the country use the ACS data included in the Insights Tool to inform programming and to guide the use of resources to meet the unique needs of their communities.

Locations

Village of Oak Park, IL

ACS Topics Used

Race, ethnicity, poverty, health insurance