2001

1. INTRODUCTION 1
2. PROBLEM 1
3. CONCEPT 2
4. THEORY 2
1. Traditional or Deficiency Model 4
2. Capacity-focused Model 4
5. DEFINITION 5
1. Need 5
2. Needs Assessment 6
3. Community 6
4. Community Development 7
6. PURPOSE OF RESEARCH 8
7. OPERATIONAL ISSUES 8
1. Variables 8
2. Feasibility 9
3. Limitations 9
4. Evaluation 10
5. Ethical Issues 11
8. CHOICE OF RESEARCH METHOD 11
1. Quantitative Research 11
1. Designing the Questionnaire 11
2. Collecting the Data 12
3. Quantitative Data 12
2. Qualitative Research 66
1. Focus Group 67
2. Key Community Informant Interview 72
9. POPULATION & SAMPLING 78
10. OUTCOME OF THE RESEARCH 78
11. Summary of Findings & RECOMMENDATIONS 86
12. CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCES

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B

APPENDIX C

APPENDIX D

APPENDIX E

We also wish to acknowledge the contributions of the Iranian Advisory Council members who approved and supported the project through out. Especially Mr. Tajdolati who persistently oversaw the project from beginning to the end and consistently provided feedback.

Furthermore, we would like to take the opportunity to appreciate Mr. Bahram Parsi whose tireless efforts in helping with many aspects of this research were inspirational. Mr. Parsi’s statistical knowledge, insight into the Iranian community, and boundless enthusiasm were instrumental in the completion of the project.

In addition, the sincere co-operation of the community informants, who readily shared their knowledge and experiences, is greatly acknowledged and appreciated. In sharing their insights Ms. Shahin Asayesh, Ms. Shahla Dafileh, Mr. Ali Gholipour, Dr. Manijeh Mogheisi, Ms. Marjan Montazemi, Ms. Afkham Mardoudkhi, Dr. Ezat Mosalanezhad, Mr. Bahram Parsi, Ms. Mina Sarlati, and Mr. Hassan Zerehi enhanced the depth of our understanding regarding the needs/barriers, and assets/capacities and potential solutions suitable for the community. Similarly, we are grateful to focus groups’ participants for providing much needed information, which enabled us to better recognize the communities, issues and concerns.

In addition, we would like to acknowledge the valuable assistance of Farideh Ardeshiri Cham, Fariba Davani, Effat Ghasemi, Sima Komeilinejad, Parvin Samadzadeh, Faranak Sobhanipour, and Miranda Yousefipour who have contributed their time, energy, and skills.

Furthermore, the assistance of Professor Sue Wilson of the Ryerson Polytechnic University’s Department of Nutrition enriched this project with a wealth of academic knowledge and community enlightenment. We thank Prof. Wilson for her scholarly contributions and true spirit of collaboration.

In addition, this project is indebted for the concerted efforts and cooperation of the following organizations: Shahrvand Publications, Iran Javan, and Iran Star, as well as Persian Heritage Language School, York University Iranian Student Association, U of T Iranian Student Association, Iranian Women’s Organization, Iranian Woman Publication, Iranian-Canadian Senior’s Organization, Iranian Community Association of Ontario, Zoroastrian Association, Culture Link, C.C.V.T., Skills for Change, Overland Learning Centre, Jane Finch Community Centre, Vazeh, Dr. Yarmand’s Office, Asi and Toraj Grocery Store.

We apologize for any errors or omissions in acknowledging individuals or organizations’ co-operation.

Shokofeh Dilmaghani

Community Action Unit

Family Service Association of Toronto

Established in 1914, the Family Service Association of Toronto (FSA) is a social service agency with the mission "to strengthen individuals and families in just and supportive communities". FSA services include counseling, family life education, community development, children’s and seniors camps, and family support services to all age groups across the city of Toronto.

The Community Action Unit was formed in January 1997 with the objective of promoting quality of life for selected ethno-cultural communities and pre-school children in disadvantaged families. A team of social workers was assembled to work in Iranian, Tamil, Somali, and Serbian communities. The worker from each of the communities works with a volunteer Advisory Council that oversee the planning and implementation of all the programs in their respective communities.

The Iranian Advisory Council (IAC) was established in March 1992 to develop a domestic violence program for the Iranian community. After five years, other developmental needs of the Iranian Community were identified by the Advisory Council; hence, a community development component was added in 1997.

The Iranian Advisory Council’s role is to work cooperatively and collaboratively with the agency in order to maximize the resources required to respond to the developmental needs of the Iranian community. The IAC is comprised of a cross section of the community, and it is instrumental in service planning, advocacy, community development, and education/integration. In order to begin the work of community development in the Iranian community, the Advisory Council agreed that a comprehensive needs assessment/community profile was necessary to identify barriers and challenges as well as strengths and the capacity of the community.

The Iranian community is a relatively new community in Canada. Although a small number of Iranians have emigrated to Canada since the 1950s, the first wave of migration took place after the Islamic revolution in 1979. Most of the Iranians who came to Canada were university educated professionals from the middle and upper class. In the mid 1980s and at the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war, a second wave of migration began. However, this time some of the migrants were university educated and some were not. Recently, due to changes in immigration policy, the number of Iranian independent professionals is once again on the rise. On the whole, the Iranian community has 20 years of history in Canada and is comprised of people from different classes, educational backgrounds, religions, and political affiliations. Although Islam is the main religion and Farsi the official language, various religions are practiced and many languages/dialects are spoken by Iranians.

The goals for conducting this research are, first, to produce an up-to-date profile of the Iranian community living in Toronto, and second, to produce a profile of current community needs and assets.

This research is designed to provide a more accurate picture of demographics and trends of the Iranian community in a way that has not been achieved through quantitative data. In addition, identifying the community’s needs/barriers and assets/capacities will assist us with program planning that is most suitable to the Iranian community.

Objectives of the Needs Assessment/Community Profile are as follows:

1. To identify the demographics of the Iranian community in Toronto, including age, education, employment, family, and immigration status.
2. To identify the needs/barriers which limit Iranians from accessing services and integrating into the community.
3. To identify the major strengths and skills such as problem solving, leadership, and creativity.
4. To prioritize community needs/barriers by analyzing the number of people who identify the need/barriers and the impact of the identified issues.
5. To generate ideas about types of community solutions and planning services that are appropriate to the Iranian culture.

To conduct this needs assessment in such a way so as to capture the overall needs, challenges, and capacities of the Iranian community, both qualitative and quantitative methodologies utilizing a triangulation approach have been selected. The triangulation method utilized in this research includes survey questionnaire, community informant interview, and focus group. This method has been used to gather and synthesize information more accurately. The main quantitative methodology used in this research is the survey questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed in both Farsi and English. The majority of the questions were close-ended where multiple answers were provided. In order to add some context and depth of meaning, a few open-ended questions were included as well. The questionnaire was comprised of three sections: Respondent’s Profile, Assessment of Difficulties, and Solutions. A total of 632 questionnaires were distributed and 406 questionnaires were collected.

For distribution of the survey, various methods were selected. Iranian service providers, both in Iranian and mainstream social agencies, and the Iranian Students Associations were contacted to distribute the survey to their clients. In this way, the relationship between service providers and their clients and members has ensured a higher rate of return and a better response rate.

Furthermore, a number of questionnaires were left at the Iranian dentists’ offices and at businesses in areas that are highly populated by Iranians. Other methods included setting up a table with questionnaires and a collection box in highly populated ESL classes, learning centres, and social and cultural events organized for the Iranian community. In addition, in an attempt to make the needs assessment more participatory and inclusive, special efforts were made to include religious minorities within the target population. However only one, Zoroastrian temple, responded positively.

Due to the limitation of the quantitative research, a qualitative method component was added for more complete and comprehensive results. Focus group and key community informant interviews were the two methods selected to gather data that is more detailed and descriptive. The goal was to delve into the feelings and thoughts of the participants and to capture the meaning of their experiences.

Youth, women, seniors, and refugees were selected as special populations with unique needs. A total of four focus groups were held to gather more information about the specific needs of these groups. The number of participants ranged between 5 and 6 individuals.

For the convenience of the participants, the focus groups were held in different locations in the community and lasted from one and a half to two hour. Since these groups were intended to provide supplementary data to complete the questionnaire, only a few vital questions were selected for discussion

As another method of qualitative research, community informant interviews were selected because it was believed that active members of the community could shed light on determining community capacities, resources, needs, barriers, and challenges.

A total of 10 community informant interviews were conducted for this project, comprised of Iranian service providers such as, student guidance counsellors, social workers, members of community media, community organizers, community educators, and active volunteers.

1. Lack of recognition of non-Canadian credentials
2. Under utilization of Iranian professionals
3. Absent of adequate emotional support
4. Disturbance in family relationships
5. Inadequate access to services and information
6. Inadequate orientation and language training for newcomers
7. Low self-esteem
8. Peer pressure (youth)
9. Systemic racism
10. Financial shortcoming
11. Conflicting cultural values
12. Ineffective immigration policies and negative attitude and treatment of refugees
13. Lack of resources to train competent interpreters/translators for refugees
14. Inadequate facilities for seniors
15. The government’s lack of commitment to multiculturalism

1. High level of education
2. Tenacity, flexibility, and adaptability
3. Willingness to learn
4. Self-reliance and hard work
5. Secular community and vibrant culture
6. Strong Family ties
7. Existence of many Iranian Professional associations
8. The ability to analyze and solve problems
9. The ability to seek help
10. Wealth within the community and financial independence for a segment of the community
11. Cooperation and goodwill toward the host country

1. Employment
2. Developing social and emotional support network
3. Access to services and information
4. Services for newcomers including language training
5. Good family relationship
6. Counselling, community and professional services
7. Promoting effective cultural and traditional practices and recreational activities
8. Financial means
9. Promoting community unity, cohesiveness, and a sense of belonging
10. Community sponsored programs and partnership projects
11. Raising awareness and promoting community leadership
12. Developing an umbrella organization that will organize lobbying and advocacy for the community
13. Building alliances across immigrant communities so that multiculturalism will develop horizontally and not vertically

Established in 1914, the Family Service Association of Toronto (FSA) is a social service agency with the mission" to strengthen individuals and families in just and supportive communities". FSA services include counseling, family life education, community development, children’s and seniors camps, and family support services to all age groups across city of Toronto.

The Community Action Unit was formed in January 1997 with the objective of promoting quality of life for selected ethno-cultural communities and pre-school children in disadvantaged families. A team of social workers was assembled to work in Iranian, Tamil, Somali, and Serbian communities. The worker from each of the communities works with a volunteer Advisory Council that oversee the planning and implementation of all the programs in their respective communities.

The Iranian Advisory Council (IAC) was established in March 1992 for the development of a domestic violence program for the Iranian community. After five years, other developmental needs of the Iranian Community were identified by the Advisory Council, hence, a community development component was added in 1997.

The Advisory Council’s role is to work cooperatively and collaboratively with the agency in order to maximize the resources required to respond to the developmental needs of the Iranian community. The Iranian Advisory Council is comprised of consumers and community members, and it is instrumental in service planning, advocacy, community development, community education/integration, and community economic development.

The literature regarding needs assessment and/or community development related to the Iranian community is scarce and it almost exclusively explores community development in rural areas in Iran. Since there is a significant difference between the population living in rural areas in Iran, and the Iranians who reside in urban centres like Toronto, the literature reviewed did not include these materials.

Considering the recent history of the Iranian community in Canada, with the exception of a study in 1993, there has been no research specific to this population. In 1993, the Iranian Women's Publications of Canada conducted a study on the emotional impact of immigration on Iranian immigrants and refugees. The resulting report identified the problems that Iranian immigrants faced upon arrival or shortly thereafter; however, this report contained little information on what community members thought about the types of strategies or services which could best prevent or respond to these issues. This gap probably reflects the early settlement stage, when immigrants are reluctant to speak publicly about problems or to seek out services.

There was no "map" to facilitate access to and/or how to provide culturally appropriate ways for Iranian people to improve their well-being and their capacity to integrate into their community.

It has been decided that instead of reviewing program evaluations such as summative (outcome) and formative (process) evaluation, different community development approaches would be reviewed. Since this needs assessment is based on a community development approach, the Traditional or Deficiency Model and Capacity-focused Model will be examined.

4.1 Traditional or Deficiency Model

The Traditional or Deficiency model of community development is based on inadequacy and shortcomings and lack of resources in the communities. In other words, this model focuses on problems, and it is negative in nature. To apply this model, the systems in place-- be it public, private or non-profit charitable organizations-- plan for providing services to these "needy" communities. As a result, for needs that are identified by one sector or another, services are provided to reduce or eliminate the problems. This approach conveys the message that the only way to solve problems is by providing services. Consequently, people are turned into clients or consumers of services who depend on receiving services for their survival and well-being.

Often, the planning of services for lower-income communities involves needs assessments that are based on a "needs map". The needs map consist of three sections. In the centre, individual problems such as child abuse, crime, mental and disability are identified. In the middle, problems related to the family as a whole is outlined such as broken families, slum housing, and welfare recipients. Finally, the outer level illustrates environmental and societal problems: unemployment, truancy, illiteracy, dropouts, lead poisoning, and gangs.

Although it is an undeniable fact that some services are needed for less privileged communities, the emphasis of this theory on services creates major problems. Allocating resources for the purpose of creating services will transfer funding to service providers not to the community members. This disempowers the local residents because they will be dependent on receiving services to meet their needs. Fragmentation and disunity can result from this approach because local residences rely on outside experts. Instead of co-operation and collaboration in their own community, they will be looking for outside professionals to provide solutions. Furthermore, policies that are made from the needs map are reactive. They are established to resolve problems or at least maintain survival level in the community. This approach is not conducive to proactive planning in which the enhancement and betterment of the community is the goal and not simply dealing with major problems. Also, this model appears to be too limiting as it does not provide room for individuals to use their capacity and strength toward community building.

4.2 Capacity-focused Model

In contrast to the Deficiency model, Capacity-focused approach is based on skills, assets, and strength within a community. Basically, this framework has been grounded in two principles. First, historically, community development has been successful only when the local residents have been directly and actively involved in the process of development; this is why the top down approach in the Traditional model has not been effective. Hence, building a community from the outside in will never result in meaningful and long lasting development.

The second principle is rooted in the reality that in recent years public funding has been consistently dwindling. In the competitive environment of restructuring, globalization, and national deficit, government funding has been reduced to subsidizing marginalized communities. As a result, waiting for resources to come from the outside of communities does not appear to be a viable option.

For these reasons an alternative map, the "community asset map", has been developed to locate communities assets, capacities and capabilities. Similar to the "needs map" in the Traditional model, the "community assets map" has three sections. However, instead of indicating the needs, it points out positive aspects of the community. The three sections of the "community assets map" include: First, gifts of individuals: income, youth, elderly, labeled people, and artists. Second, Citizen’s associations: churches, cultural groups, and block clubs. Third, local institutions: businesses, parks, hospitals, community colleges, libraries, and schools.

Kretzmann & McKnight (1993) definition for citizen’s association and local institutions are as follows: Citizen’s association refers to formal and local institutions where all or most staff are volunteers. Local institutions allude to more formal and organized parts of the establishment such as schools, police forces, hospitals and social services.

They postulate that in a Capacity-focused model, the assets, resources and skills of a community needs to be recognized and mobilized. In their view, each individual possesses unique talents and resources and can be effective in the process of community building. In addition, every community has a number of citizen associations that can be instrumental in solving problems and achieving common goals. Moreover, since a community does not live in a vacuum, it is necessary to link local institutions with individuals and citizens’ associations. The result of this linkage will be maximized when community builders are able to influence these institutions in such a way that they are more responsive to the initiatives of local residents.

By and large, this is a holistic model of community development with many positive points. Amajor drawback of this theory is its somewhat idealistic perspective. This is because capacity and assets of individuals are neither weighed against individuals’ shortcomings, nor against systemic barriers. However, due to its many positive aspects it has been selected as the theoretical framework for this research.

In this section an attempt has been made to define concepts of "need", "needs assessment", "community", and "community development".

A literature review shows that there are different ways to identify need. Some consider the different dimensions of needs, such as physical, psychological, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. While others make a distinction between need as a noun and need as a verb. In this school of thought, need as a noun resembles the gap between present and future, while need as a verb refers to what is required to modify the disparity.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is one of the best known theories about human needs. Maslow believes that human needs can be categorized into five levels: 1) Physical needs, 2) Safety needs, 3) Love or belonging needs, 4) Esteem needs, and 5) Self-actualization needs. According to his theory, lower needs are more basic and fundamental than higher needs. As a result, individuals basic needs (food and shelter) have to be satisfied before they can strive to fulfill higher needs such as self-actualization (Hoffman, Vernoy, Williams & Vernoy, 1991).

Another attempt at defining need has been achieved by developing two categories: normative and demand. Normative refers to the needs of a target population in comparison with the basic needs according to the standard of living in a given society. While needs that are defined in terms of demand identify target populations as those who see themselves in need of services.

For the purpose of this needs assessment we will define needs normatively.

5.2 Needs Assessment

If we consider the definition of needs that refers to the discrepancy between present situation and preferred future, then the needs assessment is a process in which the current situation is examined, problems and their causes are identified, and an action plan is drawn. Witkin & Altschuld (1995) describe needs assessment as "A systemic procedure for setting priorities and making decisions about programs and allocation of resources" (p.4). In other words, needs assessment consist of several phases. Systematic procedure refers to standardized method of data collection. An appropriate method of data collection is selected according to the circumstances at hand. Priorities determine the type of solutions. Finally an action plan will address the defined needs of target population.

A needs assessment is also viewed as an operational perspective:

"…needs assessment strategies are designed to provide data for program planning purposes. Intended outcomes could include: establishing policies, setting priorities, planning new programs, modifying or enhancing existing programs, coordinating services, community development and empowerment, etc."(Community Health Needs Assessment: A Culturally Sensitive Approach, City of Toronto, Department of Public Health, 1991, p. 1).

Some researchers view needs identification, needs analysis, and needs assessment as separate processes. In this research, needs assessment refers to a process that encompasses all of the above components; the main purpose being to identify and prioritize needs and capacities in order to develop culturally appropriate programs.

The word "community" has been used to convey various concepts in literature. In fact, Milson, one of the scholar in the field of community work, has identified 94 different definitions for "community". His own definition for "community" is as follows: "A community is a social group, usually localized, in which there is manifest or latent, existent or potential, a sense of identification among the member" (Milson, 1974, p. 11).

According to Sarason, Klein, and Stuart a community is a vicinity that is distinguished by the following 6 attributes:

1)Membership, a sense of identity and belonging, 2)Common symbol systems, similar language, rituals and ceremonies, 3)Shared values and norms, 4)Mutual influence, community members have influence and are influenced by each other, 5) Shared needs and commitment to meeting them, 6) Shared emotional connection, members share common history, experiences, and mutual support (Health, Education and Community Empowerment, The Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, 1990, p.3).

In addition, community can be defined as "a specific group of people, defined by geography and/or affinity (e.g., occupation, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or interest), who exhibit some awareness of their identity as a group." (City of Toronto, Department of Public Health, 1992, quoted from Healthy Toronto 2000. P.2).

The American Public Health Association’s definition of community has been adopted for this research. However, its limitations are noted because of the diversity and heterogeneity of the Iranian community.

Similar to "community", the term "community development" has been used in the literature to cover a vast area with vague boundaries. Added to this ambiguity, other terminology has been used to describe community development: community organization, community action, and community participation.

Basically, community development refers to a process of improving the lives of community members by encouraging their participation and involving them in the process of development. Often, empowerment is a component of community development. It is through empowerment that individuals are encouraged to be part of decision making and to influence their own environment (Health, Education and Community Empowerment, The Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, 1990).

The United Nations has defined community development as "… qualitative changes expressed in attitudes and relationships, which add to human dignity, and increase the continuing capacity of the people to help themselves to achieve goals which they determine for themselves" (King, 1965, quoted from the United Nations Economic and Social Council Document, 1956).

A more current definition for community development has been created by City of Toronto Community Services "Community development refers to work with community groups. …Groups that look outwards in order to engage in social actions to alter socio-environmental risk conditions" (Making Communities: Community Development Definitions, Principles and Strategies, City of Toronto Community Services, 1993, p.4).

Other definitions emphasizes on the importance of individual involvement as opposed to group work. For example, in the Healthy Toronto 2000 Report, community development is described as:

…the process through which all members of a community gain an increase in the control over their lives as well as the life of their community by achieving equal access to participation in collective decisions about their needs and in the development and implementation of strategies which utilize their collective power to meet those needs" (Community Development, City of Toronto, Dept. of Public Health, 1991, p.3).

For the purpose of this needs assessment the definition offered in the Healthy Toronto 2000 Report has been adopted.

The goals for conducting this research are first, to produce an up-to-date profile of the Iranian community living in Toronto, and second, to produce a profile of current community needs and assets.

Objectives are as follows:

1. To identify the demographics of the Iranian community in Toronto including age, education, employment, family, and immigration status.
2. To identify the needs/barriers which limit Iranians from accessing services and integrating into the community.
3. To identify the major strength and skills such as problems solving, leadership, and creativity.
4. To prioritize community needs/barriers by analyzing the number of people identifying the need/barriers and the impact of the identified issues.
5. To generate ideas about types of community solutions and planning services which are appropriate to the Iranian culture.

In this section, variables will be defined, and feasibility, limitation, evaluation, and ethical issues will be explored.

This research is concerned with two main variables. "The independent variable is presumed to cause or determine a dependent variable, [while] dependent variable is the variable that is assumed to depend on or be caused by another (called independent variable)" (Rubin & Babbie, 1997, p. G.2. & p. G.4). According to the preceding definition, it is proposed that the needs assessment is an independent variable, while the needs of the Iranian community are viewed as the dependent variable. This is because the main purpose of the needs assessment is for planning programs to assist the Iranian community to fulfill some of their needs and to overcome some of their barriers. As a result, the needs assessment or the intervention methods can influence and change the needs of the Iranian community.

In order to ensure the reliability and validity of this research, a number of issues regarding community background and characteristics of the sample population have been considered carefully. Through out the thousand years of history, Iran’s political system was a monarchy. The type of monarchy that ruled Iran was very different than the parliamentary democracy that is in place in some European counties. In Iran the monarch had the ultimate power and authority in making vital decisions for the entire nation.

In 1979 a religious revolution overthrew the monarchy and replaced it with a republican regime that was administered by Islamic fundamentalists. On the whole, it is sufficient to say that the Islamic revolution substituted one dictatorial regime with a more authoritarian and repressive one.

For this research project, the historical background of the Iranian people has been considered on several levels. On one hand, asking personal questions regarding such issues as marital, education, immigration status, and family and employment problems will appear threatening. Some may fear that this information will be used against them. On the other hand, as people who lived in an authoritarian society most of their lives, it may be difficult to convince them of the importance of their opinions, and that these opinions can help to improve their own lives as well as the community. In an authoritarian society, individuals’ will and opinions are not valued and their participation in the process of decision making is minimized. As a result, a sense of apathy or lack of faith in the importance of their opinions had played a part in gathering the data.

Another consideration was paid to cultural issues in a sense that on the whole, the Iranian culture is a verbal culture. Although, the Iranian community in Toronto is comprised of a high number of educated and professional individuals, by and large, people are reluctant to read and respond in writing. On the whole, the community would be more inclined to communicate verbally. This is an important issue for the survey questionnaire, and it will be discussed more thoroughly in the methodology section.

Another challenge was based on the division in class, political, and religious affiliation that is deeply grounded in the Iranian community. Often, people from different socio-economic classes and political or religious beliefs do not interact with each other; in the extreme cases, they are even suspicious of one another. As a result, neutrality was significant to the success of data collection.

Use of language was yet another issue that was crucial in collection of data. However, since this will be explored in the survey questionnaire section, it will not be reviewed at this point.

Due to limited resources available for this research project the majority of the work has been completed by the staff at Family Service Association and by utilizing the expertise of volunteers within the Iranian community.

Another limitation was related to the aforementioned community fragmentation. No matter how hard one tries to remain neutral and to be inclusive in one’s approach, the existing diversity may have prevented reaching certain groups within the Iranian community.

In addition, applying participatory research proved to be challenging. Participatory research refers to a research method that includes all stakeholders. Although contacting the Iranian Advisory Council, the agency’s clients and program manager was easily done; connecting with some individuals in the Iranian community was much more difficult. A segment of the Iranian community (refugees, survivors of wife assault, and consumer survivors of mental health) may have chosen to keep their distance from the community. Although, people from these categories were included in data collection, their participation may have been rather limited.

Program evaluation is an important component of social programs; good design and implementation can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of social programs and services. For this needs assessment, we recommend two program evaluations. The first evaluation is to be conducted on the needs assessment itself to evaluate its outcome, and to assess whether the needs assessment achieved its goals and objectives.

Originally it was planned to:

• collect 400 questionnaires

• conduct 4 focus groups (seniors, women, refugees, and youth)

• conduct 8 community informant interviews

• organize a community forum to present the result of the needs assessment

In addition, from the outset, the following indicators of success or failure for this needs assessment have been established:

• Completion/return rate of the questionnaire

• Attendance and content analysis of focus groups

• Attendance and content analysis of the key community informant interviews

• Endorsement of the final report by the Iranian Advisory Council and support of the broader community for program planning.

In reviewing the results of the needs assessment the following was indicated:

• A total of 406 questionnaires have been collected. The rate of return has been calculated as 64%.

• A total of 4 focus groups (seniors, women, youth and refugees) have been conducted with substantial material gained for final analysis

• A total of 10 community informant interviews have been conducted with a vast amount of information useful for final analysis

• The Iranian Advisory Council has approved the report. A community forum will be organized to launch the report.

The second evaluation will involve process evaluation and will be conducted a few years after recommended programs (by this needs assessment) have been in place. This evaluation will serve to ensure that the implemented programs fulfill the needs of the target population as it was defined by the needs assessment. It is important however that the component of process evaluation be built in from the start.

The process evaluation can be accomplished by involving different stakeholders such as community members, workers, Iranian Advisory Council, and the program manager.

An extra effort had been made to ensure the voluntary participation of community members in the needs assessment. This is because part of the distribution method included Iranian service providers asking their clients to participate in the survey and focus groups. Therefore, issues of authority and potential coercion have been dealt with in sensitive manner. An attempt had been made to overcome ethical issues by individually meeting with each worker to explain the purpose and goals of the needs assessment, as well as discussing the concept of voluntary participation.

The principle of anonymity and confidentiality is one of the fundamental ethics of any research. This has been recognized as especially important for the target population because of their deep-rooted suspicion of authority. Both anonymity and confidentiality will be discussed further in research method section.

To conduct a comprehensive needs assessment that would capture the overall needs, challenges and capacities of the target population, both qualitative and quantitative methodology utilizing triangulation approach have be been selected. The triangulation method utilized in this research includes survey questionnaire, community informant interview, and focus group. This method has been used to gather and synthesize information more accurately.

According to Rubin & Babbie (1997), "quantitative methods are research methods that emphasize precise, objective, and generalizable findings" (p.G.7). The main quantitative methodology used in this research is survey questionnaire. This section includes designing the questionnaire, collection of data, and analysis and interpretation of the data.

8.1.1 Designing the Questionnaire

The questionnaire for this needs assessment began with a brief cover letter. The brevity was necessary due to the sample population’s cultural background. As was mentioned previously, the Iranian culture is an oral culture; a lengthy cover letter may bear the risk of not being read at all.

After careful consideration, it was decided that the questionnaire would not require personal disclosure such as participants’ name and address. The cover letter introduced FSA and its services in a short paragraph. Then an underlined statement informed the reader about the anonymity of their responses.

Considering the historical and cultural background of the sample population, this seemed to have been an effective strategy for gaining the trust and interest of participants. In the next paragraph, the main objectives for the needs assessment were stated in point form. The cover letter ended with the name, address, and a phone number of a contact person and thanked the respondents for their participation.

The questionnaire was designed in Farsi, the official language of Iranians. However, in attempt to have a more inclusive sample especially among youth, an English version was also prepared. This is because in the process of integration into the mainstream, some Iranian youth and young adults prefer to communicate in English and have lost their fluency in their mother tongue.

For valid and reliable research, precision and accuracy are the aims of any survey questionnaire. One way to achieve these goals was to design a questionnaire that was simple and easy to understand. This principle was especially important for this needs assessment since the difference in class and education is substantial among the community members. It was believed that using professional terminology and sophisticated language would have alienated people on the lower educational scale, and it would have skewed the results as they may have answered without fully understanding the questions.

The majority of questions were close-ended where multiple answers were provided. In order to add some context and depth of meaning, a few open-ended questions were included. The questionnaire was comprised of three sections; Respondent’s Profile, Assessment of Difficulties, and Solutions.

The Respondent’s Profile was designed for the purpose of establishing a snap- shot of the demographic of the Iranian community i.e. gender, age, marital and immigration status, etc.

The questions in the Assessment of Difficulties section included an overview of current difficulties such as family, financial and employment problems etc. The Solution section was more comprehensive as it asked the respondents to examine themselves by answering more analytic, more open-ended questions. Also, in this section, attempts have been made to identify strengths and assets of community members (see Appendix A).

8.1.2 Collecting the Data

Due to cultural considerations and a limited budget, the survey was not distributed by mail. It was anticipated that the mail-in method would have resulted in a very low rate of return. For a culture that is oral, suspicious of authorities, carries a general disbelief that an individual opinion matters, and puts special emphasis on personal contacts, a mail-in questionnaire would have not been an appropriate method of data collection. For this reason, Iranian service providers, both in Iranian and mainstream social agencies, were contacted to distribute the survey to their clients. In this way, the relationship between service providers and their clients has ensured a higher rate of return and a better response rate. As was discussed earlier, special attention has been paid to ethical issues regarding this method of data collection.

Furthermore, a number of questionnaires were left in the Iranian dentists’ offices and businesses that are highly populated by Iranians. To ensure confidentiality and anonymity, a sealed collection box facilitated participants in returning their questionnaires. Other methods included setting up a table with questionnaires and a collection box in high-populated ESL classes, learning centres and social and cultural events organized for the Iranian community. Also, in order to include students and young adults in the survey, a number of questionnaires were distributed through the Iranian Student Association at University of Toronto and York University.

In addition, in attempt to make the needs assessment more participatory and inclusive, special efforts were made to include religious minorities within the target population. However, only one Zoroastrian temple responded positively.

8.1.3 Quantitative Data

After the survey questionnaires were collected, a preliminary visual audit of the questionnaires was done first. Then data entry and verification was completed using Q & A software. A logic audit process was performed on the database identifying duplication and logical errors, and cases of obvious errors were rectified. All the way through, the integrity and impartiality of the survey was maintained. The data distribution and graphs were analyzed by using Excel software, and presentation material were developed using Power Point and Microsoft Word.