Manhattan Strategic Planning Feedback

Thank you for providing valuable feedback to our strategic planning process! Please help us prioritize potential action items and solutions generated through our community conversation series to address the needs of each of our communities. We ask that you rank the listed ideas and provide additional qualitative feedback on what you believe we should be focusing on for each individual need identified in Manhattan.

For a deeper dive into the needs identified in Manhattan, please see our 2019 Community Needs Assessment.

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* 1. What is your connection to HRDC?

I am a customer.

I am a staff member at HRDC.

I am a stakeholder/partner.

I am a volunteer.

Other (please specify)

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* 2. Housing surfaced as the #1 need for Manhattan in our Community Needs Assessment Survey with 83% of survey takers indicating so. 100% of survey respondents indicated that Manhattan lacked a wide range of affordable rental options. There has been rapid growth in recent years as families move to Manhattan from Bozeman and Belgrade. The growth rate is at roughly 12.2%. Developments in town have slowed down in recent years because the community reached water capacity with the development of Pioneer Crossing.

Below is a list of potential action items to address the need of housing in Manhattan, please rank them.

Preservation of existing housing

N/A

Developing affordable housing - for those with fixed incomes and those in workforce

N/A

Affordable home ownership

N/A

Affordable rentals

N/A

Policy (Income and affordability)

N/A

Promoting awareness of housing crisis and shortage to community and leaders

N/A

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* 3. Please build on the above list and provide additional feedback. What other policy, promoting, partnerships, and programs should we be considering to have a positive impact in the arena of housing in Manhattan?

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* 4. Childcare surfaced as the #2 need in Manhattan in our Community Needs Assessment Survey, with 57% of survey takers indicating so. With the rapid population increase, there is also increased need for quality early childhood and infant care. Despite proximity to Bozeman and Belgrade, families still find it challenging to get to those communities for care without financial burden to transportation costs. Recent census estimates indicate that over 50% of children (age 0-5) are not enrolled in preschool.

Below is a list of potential action items to address the need of childcare in Manhattan, please rank them.

Service navigation, connecting community members to available childcare resources

N/A

Help promote local and state policy that advocates for affordable and accessible childcare for individuals of all income levels

N/A

Assist existing providers in obtaining licensure, programming, and structure

N/A

Prioritize offering low-cost/no-cost childcare in Manhattan

N/A

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* 5. Please build on the above list and provide additional feedback. What other policy, promoting, partnerships, and programs should we be considering to have a positive impact in the arena of childcare in Manhattan?

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* 6. Healthcare surfaced as the #3 need in Manhattan in our Community Needs Assessment Survey with 44% of survey takers indicating so. Over half of community members feel the community lacks readily accessible and high quality healthcare. Many residents of Manhattan must commute to Belgrade or Bozeman to receive healthcare. With the distance imposed to receive care, transit proves costly to many residents of Manhattan.

Below is a list of potential action items to address the need of healthcare in Manhattan, please rank them.

Service navigation, connecting community members to available healthcare resources and providers

N/A

Help promote policy that aids in access and affordability

N/A

Improve public transportation to healthcare destinations in larger communities

N/A

Continuing our partnerships with healthcare providers and extension of services to Manhattan - Bozeman Deaconness and Community Health Partners as well as others

N/A

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* 7. Please build on the above list and provide additional feedback. What other policy, promoting, partnerships, and programs should we be considering to have a positive impact in the arena of healthcare in Manhattan?

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* 8. Youth Needs surfaced as the #4 need in Manhattan in our Community Needs Assessment Survey with 30% of survey takers indicating so. 72% of Manhattan survey takers feel that the community lacks enrichment opportunities for all ages. There is a continued lack of opportunities for youth engagement outside of school and athletics, forcing families to create solutions on their own. While United Way has recently started an after school program, we still recognize there is a gap in services.

Below is a list of potential action items to address the need of transportation in Manhattan, please rank them.

Service navigation, connecting community members to available transit resources

N/A

Partner with local or outside services to extend services to Manhattan

N/A

Expand our existing youth services

N/A

Promote opportunites for interships, etc.

N/A

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* 9. Please build on the above list and provide additional feedback. What other policy, promoting, partnerships, and programs should we be considering to have a positive impact in the arena of youth services in Manhattan?

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* 10. Mental Healthcare surfaced as the #5 need in Manhattan in our Community Needs Assessment Survey, with 17% indicating so. 52% feel that Manhattan lacks adequate resources for the mental health needs of youth and similarly 66% feel Manhattan lacks adequate resources for the mental health needs of adults. Continued feedback suggests that community members feel that the stigma associated with mental healthcare needs remains a huge problem in rural communities.

Below is a list of potential action items to address the need of mental healthcare in Manhattan, please rank them.

Service navigation, connecting community members to available mental healthcare resources and providers

N/A

Help inform local and state policy

N/A

Leverage our existing programs through the financial opportunity center to reduce stresses to income and finances that may impact mental health

N/A

Leverage our existing programs to help reduce stresses to housing that may impact mental health

N/A

Promote community awareness, reducing stigma

N/A

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* 11. Please build on the above list and provide additional feedback. What other policy, promoting, partnerships, and programs should we be considering to have a positive impact in the arena of mental healthcare in Manhattan?