Stakeholder

 The stakeholders included in my study of the Winchseter Salvation Army’s Center of Hope Program include Tracy Hines, volunteer coordinator and social worker, the center director, volunteers, and residents at the shelter. Tracy was my primary contact at the Salvation Army and she is assisting me in setting up contact with the other stakeholders such as the residents, volunteers, and the center director.

Evaluation Question

My evaluation question is, “How effective is the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope program in providing assistance to its shelter residents for them to find more permanent housing?” With this evaluation question I will be evaluating the effectiveness of the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope shelter program by examining if residents are able to find permanent housing in a timely fashion and remain in that permanent housing without becoming repeat residents of the shelter.

Type of Evaluation

The summative evaluation model will be the best method of evaluation for my study. This is because my research question aims to address the effectiveness of the Salvation Army’s temporary shelter program at helping its clients to find more permanent housing. The objectives-based model focuses on how well clients achieve the goals of a program. This method is appropriate for my evaluation as the goal of the Center of Hope program is to provide temporary shelter to its residents and help them to find permanent housing.

Data Collection Methods

My primary form of data collection will be interviews with stakeholders. I will conduct interviews with several different kinds of stakeholders including two staff members, several volunteers, and several residents of the shelter. Interviewing involves asking the interviewee a series of questions, in this case regarding their experience with the Center of Hope program whether it be as a staff member, volunteer, or resident. I will also use review of existing records and data to obtain the shelter’s quantitative data regarding the timeframe residents were able to find permanent housing. In reviewing records, I will be able to get an overall view of the shelter’s effectiveness.

Research Method

I will be using a mixed-methods approach to my research as my interviews are a form of qualitative research, while reviewing existing records has both qualitative and quantitative aspects. This mixed-methods approach will give my evaluation increased validity. Qualitative research involves non-numerical data such as interviews. Quantitative research involves numerical data such as statistics. The mixed-methods approach I am using combines aspects of both research methods. This research method will work best in addressing my research question as it allows me to gather different kinds of information to answer my question. This method allows me to gather valuable information about day to day experiences in the shelter and how the shelter is helping current residents to find permanent housing, but also allows me to take a look at some numerical data through review of records to determine turnover time in the shelter, percentages of return to the shelter for residents who have been able to find permanent housing, and percentages of previous shelter residents who have managed to stay in permanent housing after leaving the shelter.

*The only changes made from the original to this final was the centering of the headings and the change of the evaluation method from objectives-based to summative.