From time to time we like to update our friends and followers on what we have been up to. This year has been a busy year so far for CRA, with many exciting new service opportunities for you and your non-profit to be announced soon! Stay tuned to our website and Twitter feed for more information on these services in the months ahead.

     So far this year, we have had some wonderful opportunities to participate in some great research projects. Much of our work in the past several months has centered around the issue of homelessness and collecting and assessing data on this population group in various areas of the county. We have assisted with research projects on homeless and at-risk youth, analyzing data collected by city officials to identify areas of need and to profile those most vulnerable to homelessness, collecting data on those unstably housed, and creating assessments that assist in identifying vulnerability.

     This summer we also had the opportunity to partner with two Missouri State University research assistants who assisted with several of these key projects and also assisted with analyzing data for local (Springfield, MO) after-school youth programs. The University will be releasing an article on this partnership which will be posted on our website and Twitter feed once released. We thank Gail O'Conner and Michelle Caplinger for their great work this summer!

     In addition to this research, we also continue to conduct independent grant evaluations for a variety of agencies. Among the areas in which we have worked this year, we have assisted in evaluating parenting programs for ex-offenders, emergency management programs within institutions of higher education, and at-risk youth programs.

     We look forward to the possibility of serving you in last half of 2011! If you would like to know more about our services and how our research firm can assist you or your entity with developmental assessments, research on population groups, or grant evaluations, please do not hesitate to contact us. We wish you and your families a wonderful and safe last weekend of summer!