Interactive Self-Sufficiency Standard

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

The Montgomery County Maryland Community Action Agency collaborated with CountyStat to develop the Interactive SelfSufficiency Standard tool. The tool builds upon the Self-Sufficiency Standard of Maryland 2016, developed by the Center for Women’s Welfare at the University of Washington. The Self-Sufficiency Standard defines the amount of income necessary to meet the basic needs of families, differentiated by family type and geographic location.The Interactive Self-Sufficiency is a visualization tool that allows users to determine how many people are below the Standard based on certain demographic criteria. The tool can be used in a variety of ways—by clients at various programs seeking paths to selfsufficiency, by program managers to evaluate program effectiveness, and by policymakers and legislators working to create programs that lead to self-sufficiency for families. One role of Community Action is to educate the public about the needs of lower-income residents. The Interactive Self-Sufficiency Standard does this by making a tool available to the public that shows where the needs of the community are. Once the community has a better understanding of who is struggling, advocates, policy-makers, and service providers can address these problems more effectively. Between January 31 and March 9, 2018, the tool was accessed 3,458 times.