What Is Resource Navigation?
A front door for residents navigating complex social service systems.
Based at the Newton Public Library, Resource Navigation provides client-centered, strengths-based support that meets people where they are. Rather than handing someone a phone number and sending them on their way, our navigators sit with clients, map out the full picture, and build plans that address root causes and compounding factors.
Warm referrals, barrier reduction, and follow-up are not extras. They are the core of the model.
What Brings People to Our Door
Clients rarely present with a single need. Here's what we're seeing across ten social determinant of health domains.
A Closer Look at the Biggest Challenges
Housing, employment, and healthcare are the three domains that dominate client needs. Here's what the data reveals.
Housing
More than half of all clients need housing support. Among them, 12 are currently unhoused, and 41 face compounding factors like eviction history, income loss, or domestic violence. Even among those who are housed, many report structural hazards, overcrowding, and inadequate conditions.
Employment & Income
Financial instability runs deep. These numbers tell a story of people working hard but still falling short, or unable to work at all due to barriers beyond their control.
Healthcare Access
Healthcare needs represent some of the most urgent and complex challenges. The intersection of mental health barriers and access barriers is especially pronounced.
28 clients report difficulty accessing care when they need it. 12 are uninsured. 7 reported suicidality. These are the realities our navigators hold with care on a regular basis, connecting people to crisis services, mental health providers, and ongoing support.
The Connective Tissue: Transportation
In a rural Kansas county with limited public transit, transportation barriers compound every other challenge.
Of our 87 clients:
28 clients say existing transit options are not affordable. 23 say they're not available or reliable. This single barrier touches every other need: getting to work, making medical appointments, accessing food, picking up prescriptions.
In Their Own Words
Numbers tell part of the story. The people we serve tell the rest.
These are not scripted responses. They are the unprompted words of people in difficult circumstances who felt genuinely helped.
Progress and Persistent Gaps
Real progress is happening. But the margin for error is razor thin.
Where We're Gaining Ground
Where Gaps Remain
It Takes a Network
Resource Navigation connects people to a wide network of community partners. These are the organizations showing up for Harvey and Marion County residents.
Healthcare & Behavioral Health
Housing & Shelter
Who We Serve
A snapshot of the people behind the numbers.
Age Distribution
Average age: 43.2 years • 68 of 87 reported
The 35-to-54 age range accounts for the largest share: people in the prime of their working years facing significant barriers to stability.
How Clients Find Us
Top Referral Sources
Looking Ahead
Where we're headed next.
This data reinforces both the need for and the impact of Resource Navigation. As we move forward, the priorities are clear:
Every client served through this program is a person who might otherwise have fallen through the cracks of a fragmented service system. Resource Navigation ensures that doesn't happen.