The collaborative research partnership between Bethel New Life, Inc. and Loyola University Chicago's Center for Urban Research and Learning has used and developed a number of research tools to document the impact of a community development corporation. The increasing focus on both the outputs and outcomes of community programs and interventions has necessitated an increased level of sophistication in tracking the process and impact of community development initiatives. As a result, a diverse methodology was used to assist Bethel New Life, Inc. in its efforts to document progress made towards establishing a healthy, sustainable community. Participants in this session will receive a packet of the research tools under discussion. Community organizations would benefit from the use of these tools in assessment, since they enable the enhancement of programs and the identification of best practices.

1. A matrix of the general goals, specific objectives, actions, outputs and outcomes of community initiatives. Through structured interviews and brainstorming sessions with program directors the intentions of a program are clarified, program components are identified, and forms of output and outcome data are specified that facilitate program assessment.

2. A community survey that was developed with the input of agency staff and community residents. Pairs of research team members and community residents completed 104 door-to-door interviews, gaining information on economic security, ecological integrity, quality of life and public participation. Surveys results were presented to the community through public forums that also served to spur further action.

3. The Outcomes Toolkit, an Internet-linked database that allows the profiling of community development projects-specifically strategies and indicators used to track changes in individuals and the community. It is intended to enable community-based organizers from across the country to share and compare information about each other's collaborative community improvement efforts.

4. Geographical-Information-Systems (GIS) are computer programs that enable the spatial representation of data in the community. GIS has been used to track the prevalence and location of index crimes in West Garfield Park, view the distribution of community intervention efforts, and assess the impact of street level actions with crime data from the Chicago Police Department.