2018 Chicago LGBTQ Community Needs Assessment
In 2018, the Steering Committee of The LGBT Community Fund retained Morten Group to conduct the needs assessment in order to gather data on current strengths, assets, needs, and challenges of the Chicagoland LGBTQ community. Morten Group conducted the first needs assessment of this nature for The LGBT Community Fund in 2011; this new assessment allows for comparison of the data and an updated snapshot of the community’s needs in 2019.
Data collection took place over a fifteen-week field period, from October 17, 2018, through January 31, 2019. Over 2,000 individuals participated across three data collection tools: an online survey, drop boxes with paper data cards (brief surveys) and focus groups. A snowball sampling method was used, with over 70 partner organizations, groups, and businesses sharing the link to the online survey and spreading the word throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.
The top five community needs identified through the online survey (about 3 out of 4 participants completed the online survey, making it the largest data collection tool) include:
Basic income and living wage
Community safety/violence
Discrimination based on race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity
Health insurance and physical/mental health services and care
Employment.
Across all three data collection tools, the following emerged as seven key themes:
Inequities within the LGBTQ population
High-quality, affordable, culturally responsive, comprehensive health care
Employment/underemployment and equity in the job market
Support accessing quality human and government services
Community safety and violence prevention for all
Affordable housing and gentrification
Resilience and capacity of a participatory, intersectional LGBTQ community.
The first comprehensive LGBT Community Needs Assessment was conducted by Morten Group on behalf of the LGBT Community Fund in the fall of 2011, with a data report released in June of 2012. The 2019 LGBTQ Community Needs Assessment allows the researchers to compare current data with the results from the 2011 data collection.
In addition to being released to the public online, the full data summary report was also be made available to the community in a number of presentations at sites across Chicago.
