Situational Analysis: End Homelessness

After selecting a social problem, you will write a situational analysis report, which is a factual description of the social problem, the need that arises from that problem, and the current state of interventions that are designed to address the need. A situational analysis is an examination of a social problem, the population impacted, and the effectiveness of programs or interventions that are used to address it. Frequently, social workers and community planners jump straight to implementing interventions without a clear understanding of the social problem or the “situation.” This is poor practice because if you don’t clearly understand the problem or need, then you run the risk of implementing interventions that miss the target. This can lead to waste and inefficiency, which is already a negative stereotype of social services. When completing a situational analysis, one must become immersed into the literature, data, and online resources. In doing so, it is easy to become overwhelmed and disorganized in how you frame your summary of the situation.

Write a situational analysis report that describes your chosen social problem. The report is a factual description of your chosen social problem, the need that arises from that problem, and the current state of interventions that are designed to address the need. The report is a summary of your analysis of a situation and is supported by the inclusion of administrative data, peer-reviewed articles, and stakeholder input.

Step 1: Read all the instructions to prepare a complete draft for the Module 3 Situational Analysis Draft and Peer Review. Be sure to incorporate feedback from your peer into the final submission for this assignment.

Step 2: Gather empirical articles and other data that can be used to develop and support your situational analysis. Use these links to help you search for resources:

UNR Library (Links to an external site.)
U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey Data Tools (Links to an external site.)
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – Guide for Engaging Stakeholders (Links to an external site.)
Step 3: Conduct and write a Situational Analysis that describes the targeted population, scope, and impact of your chosen social problem. Use the Situational Analysis Outline (Word) to help you organize data and resources in a cohesive format. Please ensure that you use headings from the outline to organize your paper.

The report should utilize data from the following possible sources:

U.S. Census
Federal reports/surveys
Peer-reviewed articles