Environmental Scans and Asset Mapping
Looking for information to help guide the direction of an initiative, organization, or system? C4 can help you gather data and track trends to identify opportunities to support people seeking recovery, housing stability, and well-being.
Environmental scans identify and monitor internal and external factors that can impact the viability of a program or organization and are used to inform policy, planning, and program decisions. Asset mapping identifies valuable resources within a community or system. Having a clear picture of the resources available is critical for matching services and supports to those most in need.
C4 works with communities to conduct environmental scans and develop asset maps for systems and services that deliver housing and recovery supports. We engage in a customized process with our partners to meet their needs and develop actionable, data-informed recommendations.
Our work is designed to answer important questions about program processes and outcomes; increase transparency and accountability with funders, other stakeholders, and the community; and build local capacity and sustainable continuous quality improvement processes. Our approach emphasizes the importance of being culturally humble, person-centered, trauma-informed, and recovery-oriented; considering data collection burden; and balancing quantitative data sources with qualitative sources that uplift the voices of people served.
We prioritize deep integration of people with lived experience and racially equitable frameworks. Our team includes service providers, peers, trainers, researchers, and people who have experienced substance use, mental illness, trauma, housing instability, homelessness, and incarceration.
We Can Help You
- Conduct environmental scans and develop asset maps by reviewing current federal, state, local, and program guidance, resources, and practices
- Examine, refine, and improve protocols, policies, and practices
- Conduct literature reviews and landscape analyses
- Conduct key stakeholder focus groups and interviews
- Identify and develop key principles, strategies, findings, and resources
- Develop recommendations for operating, responding to issues, delivering best practice supports, and supporting systematically marginalized stakeholders
- Provide consultation to support ongoing evaluation and assessments
Learn more about partnering with us.
Our Experts
Examples of Our Work
Evaluating Collegiate Recovery Services in Washington
C4 and partners at Washington State University (WSU) conducted an environmental scan to assess availability and quality of collegiate recovery support services in Washington State. We collected data from multiple sources including current literature, surveys, policy reviews, and stakeholder interviews. In the report, we make recommendations for individuals and organizations providing collegiate recovery supports. WSU also examined educational needs and priorities for young people in recovery and transitioning to collegiate settings. C4’s evaluation team continues to examine collegiate recovery seed grantee outcomes. Read “Reshaping the Conversation: Collegiate Recovery Supports and Services in the State of Washington.” For more information, contact Patricia Maarhuis, PhD at WSU and Jennifer Battis, MRes at C4 and learn more about collegiate recovery from Washington State University. Read more about this initiative:
Examining Recovery Housing in Ohio
C4 staff partnered with Ohio Recovery Housing and Ohio’s Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) to explore accessibility, quality, trends, and needs for recovery housing statewide. We used what we learned to develop recommendations for addressing unmet needs, implementing best practices, and taking actionable steps. Next steps identified include continuing to address service gaps and barriers to recovery housing, ensuring access for underserved and rural Ohioans, providing additional clarity to operators and residents regarding quality standards and requirements, and advancing racial equity among recovery support services. Read an overview of our findings and the full report. Learn more about our findings and recommendations specific to equity and the COVID-19 pandemic. More info about our work on recovery housing.