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National Needs Assessment

RHYTTAC National Needs Assessment

The Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) partners with the Runaway and Homeless Youth Training, Technical Assistance, and Capacity Building Center (RHYTTAC) and Chapin Hall to conduct a National Needs Assessment. This assessment is administered annually to all Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) grant recipient organizations.

Purpose of the Needs Assessment 

This annual assessment is administered to all RHY grant recipient organizations to identify training needs for RHY grant recipient organizations across a variety of areas and to evaluate the use of, and experiences with, existing training and technical assistance (TTA) provided by RHYTTAC.

FYSB and RHYTTAC use assessment results to identify TTA priorities for the following year and determine the best ways to support grant recipient organizations in improving youth outcomes. The needs assessment also helps ensure that RHYTTAC’s services best meet the needs of grant recipient organizations, leading to new and adapted TTA resources available to them in the future. We encourage grant recipient organizations to participate in this web-based assessment. Participation is voluntary but strongly encouraged.

Administering the Needs Assessment

Representatives from grant recipient organizations will complete the assessment using an online web form. RHYTTAC will send a link to the web form via email to PI/PD of each grant recipient organization. Each grant recipient organization should submit only ONE National Needs Assessment. We will not be able to use information from multiple assessments submitted by the same organization.

To ensure the success of the assessment’s administration, grant recipient organizations should take the following steps before completing the assessment:

  1. Identify a cross-section of program staff (i.e., executive leaders, clinicians, program managers, and direct service staff) to participate in the process.
  2. Schedule a meeting or use existing meetings to discuss completing the assessment. Review the assessment questions in advance. (Note: The survey PDF is for reference only. All assessments must be completed through the unique link provided to your agency by email.)
  3. Reach consensus on how the items will be answered.
  4. Determine who will be responsible for completing and submitting the web form for your organization.

Completing the Needs Assessment

This video offers your organization valuable guidance for completing the needs assessment and helping to reduce burden while accurately reflecting your training needs. Members of the Chapin Hall team will be available to provide support as you complete the assessment. Additionally, RHYTTAC will host an optional TA Café on August 18, 2026, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET, where grant recipient organizations can ask questions and receive further assistance with the assessment process. Watching the video and participating in the TA Café are entirely voluntary and are designed to help you prepare to complete the assessment.

As you work through the assessment, you can save your answers and return to the assessment later. If you choose to save and come back later, please note the Return Code. This code will be needed to return you to the point in the assessment where you paused. If you forget to enter the Return Code, you will be directed to begin the assessment from the start.

Grant recipient organizations should complete the assessment no later than September 4, 2026.

Support

If you have any questions about the needs assessment, including who in your organization received the live link to complete it, please contact Colleen Schlecht at Chapin Hall at [email protected]. If you have any other questions, please contact RHYTTAC at [email protected]. 

 Last updated 8/10/2026