Creating Shared Knowledge: An Asset-based Community Development Project in Hermiston

This report discusses the Asset-based Community Development project conducted between March 1st and May 30th, 2022 in Hermiston, Oregon. The purpose of the three- phase project is to better understand the city’s assets as well as gaps in public service provision. Through an environmental scan, a survey, and a focus group, five investigators from Eastern Oregon University, collected and analyzed data offered by both public and non-profit organizations in Hermiston. Our findings indicate that there is strength in the city’s ‘small town feel’ and that there is great potential for growth in the area. Gaps in services that exist relate to better understanding how to serve different vulnerable populations, how to address the economic insecurity many in the community face, as well as how to address the fragmented public services already available in Hermiston. A community directory and a community navigator program are offered as potential solutions to the gaps identified in this project. This work is an important, preliminary step at realizing community development that is both self-sufficient and inclusive. Continued collaboration is needed in order to optimize the value of this ABCD.