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National Needs Assessment

The Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) is working with the Runaway and Homeless Youth Training, Technical Assistance, and Capacity Building Center (RHYTTAC) and Chapin Hall to conduct the annual National Needs Assessment (NNA). This assessment is administered to all Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) grantee organizations.  Grantee organizations are encouraged to participate in this web-based online assessment.

We encourage grantee organizations to participate in this web-based online assessment. Your organization’s participation is voluntary but strongly encouraged.  

Purpose of the Needs Assessment 

The goal of the needs assessment is to identify training needs for RHY grantee organizations in a variety of areas and to assess the utilization and experiences with existing training and technical assistance (TTA) provided by RHYTTAC.

FYSB and RHYTTAC use the results of the assessment to identify TTA priorities for the following year and how to best support grantee organizations in improving outcomes for youth. The assessment also helps ensure that RHYTTAC’s services best meet the needs of grantee organizations, leading to new and adapted TTA resources available to RHY grantee organizations in the future.

Administering the Needs Assessment

Representatives from grantee organizations will complete the 2025 National Needs Assessment using an online web form. RHYTTAC will distribute a link to the web form to grantee agencies. Each grantee organization should submit only ONE National Needs Assessment. We will not be able to use information from multiple assessments completed by the same organization.

To ensure the success of the assessment’s administration, grantee 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 plan to use existing meetings to discuss the completion of the assessment. Review the assessment questions found HERE.
  3. Share a copy of the assessment tool with staff in advance so they can familiarize themselves with the questions and come prepared to engage in the discussion about responses.
  4. Provide consensus on how the items will be answered.
  5. 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, aiming to reduce the burden while accurately reflecting your training needs. Members of the Chapin Hall team will be on hand to offer support and direction. Additionally, RHYTTAC hosted an optional TA Café, where grantee organizations could ask questions and receive further assistance with the assessment process. Watching these videos are entirely voluntary, as they are designed to help you prepare for and successfully complete the assessment. 

As you work through the assessment, you have the option to save your answers and finish at a later time. If you choose to save your answers and come back later, please make sure to note the Return Code. This code will be necessary to bring you back to the point in the assessment where you paused. If you forget to enter the Return Code, you must begin the assessment from the beginning.

Support

If you have any questions about the assessment, please contact Amanda Griffin from Chapin Hall at [email protected]. If you have any other questions, please contact us at [email protected]. 

  Last updated 7/31/2025