RUNNING HEAD: Community Assessment Assignment

Community Assessment Assignment

Malissa Harris
Nurs 153
May 25th, 2015

Community Assessment Assignment

I have recently gotten the opportunity to serve with the people at the Salvation Army
Thrift Store. This is an amazing, non-profit organization that has a very meaningful mission.
Their mission statement reads, The Salvation exists to share the love of Jesus Christ, meet
human needs and be a transforming influence in the community (Salvationarmy.ca). This is a
religiously based organization who strives for the greater well-being of all individuals. Along
with their thoughtful mission statement the Salvation Army also strives on three very important
values to their organization; salvation, holiness and intimacy with God. Accompanied by these
three core values they have seven operational values including compassion, respect, excellence,
integrity, relevance, co-operation and celebration. This is an organization that helps any person in
need of basic necessities that they cannot afford on their own. The thrift store receives donations
of various items ranging from clothing to furniture, from toys to electronics, from any person
willing to give. Of these items donated the employers and volunteers will sort and organize
which items are suitable to be sold, they are then priced and put on display for consumers at a
more affordable price. The Salvation Army also distributes millions of meals, and supplies to
thousands of men, women and families, along with shelter beds. In just 2013 alone the Salvation
Army helped over 1.8 million people; almost 5000 every day. This is an amazing organization

Community Assessment Assignment

that helps a numerous amount of people who may feel helpless and alone, and guide them to feel
secure and safe again.
While volunteering at The Salvation Army I realized how many people are in need of
important necessities that others take for granted, I also noticed how many people are willing to
offer their time to help organizations like this one. Working at this organization has reinforced
my belief that every person has differing needs and values, and all needs and values vary in
importance according to every individual. Although this is true in my beliefs I also know that
core needs, for the most part, stay the same for every person. These core needs include shelter,
food and water, warmth, clothing and care. This experience will help me reinforce these ideas in
my nursing practice and to help me remember that each client are unique based on all aspects of
their life, not just the physical aspects, but I must remember the holistic person.
Health care being provided to a client is greatly influenced by the individualized health
determinants. Some major health determinants include income, social status, education, physical
environment, social support networks, genetics, gender and health care. All these determinants
are very important to understand to provide quality health care. This is made clear in Breanna
Lathroops article when she states, Social determinants of health have a profound impact on
health status and the prevalence of health disparities (Lathroop, pg. 1). In her article Nursing
Leadership in Addressing the Social determinants of Health Lathroop emphasizes the
significance for all health care providers to keep in mind the presence of any health determinants
and how each determinant has a varying impact on any singular person or client.
The two health determinants that where made most relevant among the consumers at The
Salvation Army would have to be income and physical environment. Income can have a
substantial effect on a persons health. This is because income is what supplies people with the
3

Community Assessment Assignment

foundations of health, including shelter, food, warmth and can lead them to participation in
society. Lack of income can affect the physical health of people just as much as it can affect the
psychosocial health of people. Low income can limit people in their life endeavors and can cause
restraints on quality of life, this includes quality of life through both mental and physical wellbeing. People who live on low income also suffer through a lot of stress and anxiety. Physical
environment relates to all environment an individual is being exposed to including at home,
work, school or any other place. Air quality in the environment can also play a role; infectious
disease can be spread this way, especially when it comes to respiratory diseases. The appearance
of the environment to an individual may also affect the psychosocial aspects of their health, this
is because the more attractive the environment is to them the more willing they will be to
participate with others in the community. Both physical environment and income can play hand
in hand because income can directly relate to physical environment. Income can define what
kind of home you can afford, and this will impact what type of physical environment someone is
living in. Both these determinants have a large role in health and quality of life. As stated by the
article written by the Canadian Nurses association, A wealth of evidence supports the idea that
the socioeconomic circumstances of individuals and groups have at least as much - and often
more - influence on health status as medical care and personal health behaviors. This just goes
to show how crucial these health determinants can be in any person's physical and psychological
health. These health determinants can have an equal effect to health, as lifestyle and health care
do. If there is a deficiency in any of the numerous health determinants there will be most likely
be a lasting effect on an individual's well being
Just as The Salvation Army The Habitat for Humanity and The Goodwill Help people
with low income and who lack a decent physical environment. The habitat for Humanity's was
4

Community Assessment Assignment

founded in Toronto in 1988, their vision is to have a world where everyone has a safe and decent
place to live, as every person deserves. Their missions statement states, "To mobilize volunteers
and community partners in building affordable housing and promoting homeownership as a
means to breaking the cycle of poverty." (Habitatgta.ca). The closest location In the GTA is 155
Bermondsey Road Toronto, Ontario. Their core values stand for housing for all, human dignity,
partnership, faith in action and diversity and inclusiveness. This organization helps those who are
unable to buy a home at market value. The people who wish to apply for one of these homes and
who also receives one, they in exchange will have to work to pay it off by assisting in the build
of their or another home, this is called a sweat equity. In order to apply for a home built by
habitat for humanity one must first be reviewed for eligibility (works in Canada, must have a
steady income that does not exceed the affordability income range specified for each home),
attend an information session, submit an application and the application is then reviewed. Along
with building homes they also run a store where they sell donated products at a lower cost than
market value, the money made goes towards the building projects and upkeep of the store. There
are many stores around the GTA and many are still opening up, hours varying depending on
location, but usually range from 9-7 on the weekdays.
The Goodwill is another organization very similar to The Salvation Army, their mission,
very similar to that of Habitat for Humanity and The Salvation Army, is to help the society and
community. Their mission statement reads, "Goodwill strives to enhance the dignity and quality
of life of individuals and families by helping people reach their full potential through education,
skills training and the power of work" (Goodwill.org). They have stores, very similar to the other
two organizations mentioned, where donations are received and sold to the public at a more
affordable cost. The Goodwill has over 3000 retail location with a sales revenue close to 4
5

Community Assessment Assignment

billion, and of this 83 percent is spent directly on programs. The closest location to me would be
1224 Dundas Street East Mississauga, Ontario. Some programs they supply include Career and
youth mentoring, pathways out of poverty program, GCFLearnFree (a website with online
classes) and much more. Anyone who needs these programs can search their website or reach
one of their 3000 locations to get details on them. This organization and their offerings to the
community is made very accessible and helpful for all.
All three of these organizations help those in the community who struggle with low
income and who lack in a quality physical environment. All three help those with low incomes
by supplying them with general necessities at a lower cost than regular market value, making all
products more affordable. General necessities include clothing, food products, household items,
furniture, linens and much more. All three organization do this in the same way, by having a
store open to donations and volunteers. The donations supplied are sold to the public at an
affordable cost, so those with low incomes can have a way to supply themselves and their
families. Habitat for humanity stands out in a phenomenal way to help those without a decent
environment to live in. They do this by supplying a chance for those who cannot afford a market
valued home, with a brand new home at a more economical cost. The salvation Army also helps
greatly by providing people without a warm, comfortable place to sleep, improving their physical
environment. They do this by providing beds and food to so many men, women and families
everywhere their services are provided.
The experience while working in this non-profit organization has helped me greatly
throughout my everyday life, and I believe will also have a lasting impact in my nursing practice.
From the article described previously in my paper by The Canadian Nurses Association called
Social Determinants of Health and Nursing emphasizes greatly on the importance of
6

Community Assessment Assignment

understanding these health determinants and how they will become pertinent in understanding
and providing care for all clients. This entire experience will help me to keep these thoughts with
me throughout the entirety of my practice and also will help me to connect with clients and
provide quality care.

Community Assessment Assignment

Works Cited

Capital Health Nova Scotia. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2015, from http://www.cdha.nshealth.ca/

Goodwill Industries International, Inc. (n.d.). Retrieved May 24, 2015, from
http://www.goodwill.org

Habitat for Humanity Canada | Affordable Housing. (n.d.). Retrieved May 24, 2015, from
http://www.habitat.ca/

Lathrop, B. (n.d.). Nursing Leadership in Addressing the Social Determinants of Health. Policy,
Politics, & Nursing Practice, 41-47.

Mikkonen, J., & Raphael, D. (2010). Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts.
Toronto: York University School of Health Policy and Management.

Social Determinants of health and nursing: A summary of the issues. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15,
2015, from https://www.cna-aiic.ca/~/media/cna/page-content/pdf-en/social-determinants-ofhealth-and-nursing_a-summary-of-the-issues.pdf?la=en

The Salvation Army in Canada Giving Hope Today. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2015,
from http://www.salvationarmy.ca/