Image of tents in a urban city, credit: Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash.
Madeline Smith completed a practicum with the Coalition of Homeless Service Providers. Her work focused on examining Monterey and San Benito counties racial disparities in providing homeless services. First, she summarizes the project and her role, and then describes her personal experience and growth. … Continue reading Restored Faith in Human Empathy when Working with…
Practicum: Mixed-Method Research Project for the Coalition of Homeless Service Providers
Summary
For my practicum project, I worked with the Coalition of Homeless Service Providers to design and conduct a mixed-method research project on racial disparities in homeless service provision throughout Monterey and San Benito counties (Continuum of Care CA-506). I was mentored by Professor Mahabat Baimyrzaeva for the entirety of the semester. Using an applied research approach, I designed a qualitative analysis utilizing a literature review and key informant interviews. I also partnered with fellow MIIS student, Miles Burgin (BA/MPA Dec ‘22), who designed and conducted the statistical analysis of the client’s databases. After running these tests, I built a data visualization table of the results using Tableau.
Impact
This project was a fantastic culmination of the skills I have learned at MIIS. I worked with the client in an iterative manner from project inception to report publication. It was an excellent practice in critical thinking, project management, and decision-making. This project really challenged me to move outside of my comfort zone, focusing on quantitative data rather than the usual qualitative data I gravitate towards. This helped me build confidence in my ability to analyze both types of information in future job positions. This practicum was also very software heavy, requiring me to learn and practice both R Studio and Tableau for the purpose of analysis and information dissemination.
It restored my faith in humanity and showcased how innovative people can be when they are passionate and caring.
As for more personal impact, speaking with experts from across the State in the homeless service providers industry was inspiring. It restored my faith in humanity and showcased how innovative people can be when they are passionate and caring. It was also a pleasant surprise to see that the majority of people I spoke with were already treating beneficiaries like the experts that they are. Again, this restored my faith in humanity and was a very encouraging thing to see.
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