Community Needs Assessment

Every three years, CAP goes through the process of curating and publishing a community needs assessment for Lancaster County. As a community action agency, this community research is vital to our prosperity work. Not only is it a requirement for receiving Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funding available to community action agencies created as part of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, but more importantly, it guides the work we do in our community and serves as a trusted resource for our community partners.

The 2025-2028 community needs assessment is structured by the two-generation (2Gen) framework we’ve integrated into our work that focuses on resources to support economic mobility across generations – parent/caregiver and the young people in their lives. We highlight the intersection of the six components of the 2Gen framework – Economic Assets, Health and Mental Health, Early Childhood Education, K-12 Education, Postsecondary and Employment Pathways, and Social Capital – with the makeup of our community and folks’ journeys to prosperity. This intersection serves as a powerful way to identify where our work can focus and evolve.