THE BEEHIVE SACRAMENTO WEBSITE PROJECT

Introducing a New Community Link

The beehivesacramento.org is a consumer-oriented interactive, self-help website designed to give people information and resources that will help them meet their needs. Available in many languages, people can use the website to easily access financial and government services, educational resources, jobs, community events, local businesses, and much more.

The website evolved from a partnership between Valley Vision, Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, and the Community Services Planning Council, and was led by a regionally-based steering committee. The project, funded by the California Department of Transportation, was designed to employ innovation and current technology to assist with challenges in underserved, lower-income communities.

One of the greatest strengths of this project was the depth of participation at every step of the planning, from conception to implementation. Valley Vision accomplished this through the input of the steering committee, by conducting stakeholder interviews, and conducting community forums, focus groups, and surveys. See the results of this year long collaborative effort at www.beehivesacramento.org.

PROJECT BENCHMARKS Creating a Steering Committee: Valley Vision recruited a steering committee whose members represented both local neighborhood and regional interests. Understanding the needs and assets of the community: Information was collected through one-on-one interviews with over 30 community stakeholders from the business, nonprofit, and government sectors. Exploring project options: After identifying potential project models, Valley Vision collected and presented data to the steering committee citing the pros and cons of both options, identifying local partners, budgets, expected impacts and possible funders. Creating an implementation team: A team was created to select a website partner and examine computer/internet access issues. Organizing the community forums: Five community forums were held in three different languages to introduce the idea of a community website and gather ideas about content and access issues. Conducting a community survey: To ensure that the project addressed community needs, Meta Research Inc. was hired to conduct a survey to help guide development of the beehivesacramento.org.