The Salt Spring Island Foundation thanks everyone in the community who took the time to complete the Foundation’s recent online Community Needs Survey. The survey asked what residents saw as the most critical issues facing the community and the island’s not-for-profit organizations.

There were 446 responses to the survey, a good representation of the island’s year-round population of approximately 10,000 people. Statistically, the margin of error is +/- 4.5%, 95% of the time.

Respondents identified the top five critical needs on the island that are not currently being met as:

1. Housing (includes emergency services and shelter, long-term and affordable housing), 65.9%
2. Community health services (includes mental health and health care education), 52.2%
3. Poverty issues, 50.6%
4. Agriculture and food supply, 40.8%
5. Children’s, youth and family services, 39.8%

In addition, members of not-for-profit organizations who responded to the survey were asked to identify their organizations’ particular challenges—“barriers to organizational effectiveness.” Shortage of funds was the number one problem, followed closely by the related issues of difficulty fundraising and obtaining grants. Lack of members willing to volunteer was also identified as a problem, but this was not as significant as limited funds.

Survey results will be helpful to the Foundation when making granting decisions in the future and in determining how best to support the organizational needs of local not-for-profits. They should also be useful for island organizations and government when coming to their own planning and funding decisions.

Download the full survey results here.