Community Needs Assessments

Listen before you act

A Community Needs Assessment (CNA) helps us listen, learn, and deliver solutions that make a real difference to people’s lives.

The process is vital to supporting local communities and helps organisations understand what matters most to local people so that projects, services, or funding can deliver real value where it’s needed most.

This information helps housing providers, local authorities, and organisations like Cyd Innovation to make better decisions, ensuring that investment delivers positive impact that’s relevant, targeted, and measurable.

A Community Needs Assessment gathers evidence about:

The current challenges people are facing
What services or support they need
Local priorities (social, economic, environmental)
Gaps in existing provision
Strengths and opportunities within the community

Why Do Community Needs Assessments Matter in Housing and Retrofit?

Retrofit projects affect people’s lives. A CNA might reveal that residents in a particular area:

Are experiencing fuel poverty
Have low awareness of energy efficiency options
Are concerned about disruption from works
Want more local training and job opportunities
Need support to use new heating systems

This insight allows us to design retrofit programmes that support local communities not only by improving homes but also by building trust, creating jobs and reducing bills.

What Might a Community Needs Assessment Involve?

Resident surveys or questionnaires
Focus groups or interviews with tenants
Data analysis (fuel poverty stats, health indicators, local economy)
Engagement with community groups, schools, local businesses
Asset mapping (what facilities or support already exists)
Reporting findings with clear recommendations

Cyd Innovation might use a Community Needs Assessment to:

Shape retrofit projects around resident priorities
Design skills and training programmes for local people
Identify where social value investment (time, money, resources) will have the greatest impact
Provide evidence to funders or local authorities about why a project is needed