Is Miami-Dade a good place to raise kids? New county survey asks that question and more
What issues matter most in Miami-Dade County? This month, residents can weigh in on a range of economic and social topics, including housing, transportation and public safety.
The county’s Community Action and Human Services Department is conducting its Community Needs Assessment Survey in partnership with the Florida International University Jorge M. Pérez Metropolitan Center. The survey is available online in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole until July 26.
Maria Ilcheva, a professor at FIU and the lead researcher on the survey, said she expects housing, cost of living, transportation and economic development to be among residents’ highest priorities this year.
“Pocketbook issues always come to the surface,” Ilcheva said.
The county last administered the survey in 2019, and its results were published in 2020. Residents expressed concern about issues ranging from low wages relative to the cost of living to traffic congestion in the most recent survey.
The county must administer the survey to receive certain federal grant funding, said Jacob Mills, a spokesperson for Miami-Dade’s Community Action and Human Services Department. Mills said the county has received about $3 million in funding in previous years, which goes to programs promoting “self-sufficiency” for low-income families and individuals. That includes programs like job training and utility assistance, he said.
FIU drafts the survey, which must comply with a set of federal standards, said Mills.
The survey prompts residents to rate the quality of life in their communities and list issues that are most important. Residents can also indicate to what extent they agree with statements like, “Overall, my community is a good place to raise children.” Residents are invited to tell the county what they think is missing from their neighborhoods, including affordable housing, libraries and living-wage jobs. It also includes questions about residents’ race, age, income and other demographics.
The survey has 11 sections, covering issues including housing and financial needs, public safety, employment, and physical and mental health. Ilcheva said a civic engagement section, which asks questions about attending local meetings and voting, is new this year.
In addition to asking how safe residents feel in their neighborhoods and in Miami-Dade County, the public safety section asks whether residents support initiatives like alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent adult offenders and gun violence diversion programs for children.
But both Mills and Ilcheva said the survey’s content remains largely the same over the years. That makes it easier to compare data across different years’ surveys.
Miami-Dade County residents above age 18 are eligible to participate in the survey. The instructions also ask that only one person per household complete the form.
Responses will help the Metropolitan Center make recommendations to the county about which issues to prioritize, Ilcheva said. The survey will also help the county create focus groups to examine the issues residents said are important to them, she added.
Ilcheva said she cannot yet say how the pandemic has affected Miami-Dade County residents’ priorities since the last time the survey was conducted.
“What we’re interested in seeing is in our community, have community priorities changed?” Ilcheva said. “Are the challenges bigger in certain issue areas than they were before?”
Ilcheva said the last survey received about 2,000 responses. She said she hopes to meet or exceed that number this year. The survey is relatively long, she said, but she hopes county residents will “have the patience” and take the time to complete it.
