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Let us help you use your Data for Change Learn More What can ASR do for you? Children experiencing the joy of learning at a FIRST 5 Santa Clara County-supported family resource center. Photo taken by Daniel Tran, 2017 About OUR PURPOSE IS TO IMPROVE LIVES In 1980, four researchers from UC Santa Cruz came together with a mission: Gather data. Use data. Spark change. For over 40 years, Applied Survey Research (ASR) has been helping people build better communities. As a growing non-profit social research consulting firm, our offices in Watsonville, San Jose, and Sacramento, California help many cities, counties, foundations, coalitions and organizations measure and advance the quality of life for the people they serve. We offer award-winning research services such as community needs assessments, homeless assessments, strategic planning, program design, program evaluation, and online data dashboarding. We are best known for our ability to help partners like you gather key data on the issues affecting your population, and to help you use this information to create strategic, lasting, and impactful solutions. Our diverse team of researchers enjoys the privilege of learning about your efforts, and helping guide your team each step of the way until you have the answers you need. Our job is to help you create a path toward your desired results, measure your impact and tell your story. Let's work together to spark lasting change. Susan Brutschy President & Founder In 1980, four researchers from UC Santa Cruz came together with a mission: Gather data. Use data. Spark change. For over 40 years, Applied Survey Research (ASR) has been helping people build better communities. As a growing non-profit social research consulting firm, our offices in Watsonville, San Jose, and Sacramento, California help many cities, counties, foundations, coalitions and organizations measure and advance the quality of life for the people they serve. We offer award-winning research services such as community needs assessments, homeless assessments, strategic planning, program design, program evaluation, and online data dashboarding. We are best known for our ability to help partners like you gather key data on the issues affecting your population, and to help you use this information to create strategic, lasting, and impactful solutions. Our diverse team of researchers enjoys the privilege of learning about your efforts, and helping guide your team each step of the way until you have the answers you need. Our job is to help you create a path toward your desired results, measure your impact and tell your story. Let's work together to spark lasting change. PASSIONATE TEAM 97% of partners agreed that ASR demonstrated compassion and “heart” for the issues they seek to address in their community Source: ASR 2018 Partner Survey Services WHAT WE DO We help our partners collect data, understand what’s working and what’s not, and identify what actions can be taken to create meaningful and lasting change. View Partner List PROJECTS BY TOPIC ACEs, Mental Health, Substance Use and Wellbeing Child Safety Community Health Needs Assessments COVID Impact Fair Market Rent Survey (FMR) Family Strengthening and Home Visiting First 5 Children and Families Commissions Homelessness Assessments Public Safety Racial Equity School Readiness Youth Development PROJECTS BY METHODOLOGY App and Text-based Data Collection Community Assessments Data Visualizations and Infographics Evaluation Planning Executive Summaries Focus Groups & Listening Sessions Grantmaking Support Group Facilitation / Community Planning Sessions Needs Assessments Online Data Dashboards (Tableau) Participatory Research and Evaluation Process and Outcome Evaluations Results-based Accountability (RBA) Strategic Planning Surveys Upstream Prevention Portal (coming soon) Choose a category from the lists below for samples of our work. Testimonials TESTIMONIALS "The investment made in selecting ASR as our evaluator has strengthened our systems, accountability, partnerships as well as funding by a minimum of three folds. For small counties who think they cannot afford to have ASR as their evaluator, learn from us — invest in this amazing partnership so that you can grow and diversify your resources." Karen Pautz Executive Director, First 5 Siskiyou Contact CONTACT US Let’s Work Together CENTRAL COAST 55 Penny Lane, Suite 101 | P.O. Box 1927 Watsonville, CA 95077 Phone: 831.728.1356 | Fax: 831.728.3374 BAY AREA Phone: 408.247.8319 | Fax: 408.260.7749 SACRAMENTO 915 Highland Pointe, Suite 250 Rocklin, CA 95678 Phone: 408.483.8471 services@appliedsurveyresearch.org 877-728-4545 First Name Last Name Email Leave us a message... I am seeking support for: Kindergarten/School Readiness Community Assessment Homeless Point In Time Count Needs Assessment Strategic Plan Program Evaluation Other (see notes above) Submit Contact Form Thanks for submitting! Join our mailing list! Subscribe Thanks for subscribing!

Laura Johnsen Research and Administrative Assistant Susan Brutschy co-founded Applied Survey Research in 1981 with Sociology Professor Dane Archer of the University of California, Santa Cruz. She has been President of ASR since 1989, leading hundreds of evaluations, assessments, and strategic planning processes in community quality of life, early childhood development, domestic violence, child abuse and maltreatment, early literacy, K-12 education, and homelessness. Ms. Brutschy has expanded ASR's work to national and international prominence. In 2006, ASR won the prestigious Community Service Award from the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology (AACS). They noted that ASR won the honor "for its outstanding work in applying its data collection, analysis, reporting, and management skills to addressing homelessness and other social problems." In 2007, ASR and the United Way of Santa Cruz County won a national award from the Brookings Institution for having the best indicator project in the nation, the Santa Cruz County Community Assessment Project (CAP) . Over the last decade, Ms. Brutschy has pioneered an outcomes framework for ASR's work in community assessments, evaluations, and strategic planning processes. This framework, known as Results Based Accountability (RBA), was created by Mark Friedman of the Fiscal Policies Institute. The framework’s goal is to begin with the outcomes that a community would like to achieve. Once a community agrees on those outcomes, Ms. Brutschy and ASR staff use RBA to develop the best methods to achieve those ends. She has successfully led many projects using RBA, including the previously mentioned Santa Cruz County CAP, which functions as a community report card with over 135 indicators; First 5 Santa Cruz County to benefit children ages 0-5 in low income communities of color; and Kindergarten Readiness Assessments in Alameda, Santa Clara, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties. Ms. Brutschy believes that data should not sit in binders collecting dust, but rather that it should become a catalyst for community change. She has helped many communities in California, Arizona, and Alaska to achieve improvements in health, domestic violence, child abuse and maltreatment, early childhood literacy, drug and alcohol abuse, and school safety. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with highest honors in Sociology, and received awards for her research in designing and implementing quantitative assessments of community opinion for the Social Research Unit. In addition to her work at ASR, Ms. Brutschy enjoys reading about the history of ancient Egypt, international travel, and camping with her husband and four adult children. < Back LauraJ@appliedsurveyresearch.org

Laura Connery Director of Operations and Impact Ms. Connery came to ASR in 2007 and has worked on evaluations and assessments in the areas of early childhood education, youth development, homelessness, farmworker needs, community needs assessments, community health assessments, and recreation and housing assessments. As a community researcher with a specialty in community-based participatory research, she has led numerous primary data collection efforts in the states of California, Arizona, and Alaska. Ms. Connery has engaged and worked with vulnerable populations as part of efforts to obtain quantitative and qualitative data to better the quality of life of community members. Some of her projects include needs and assets reports for children ages 0-5 in 9 different regions in Arizona; a Human Services, Recreation, and Housing needs assessment to evaluate the recreation needs of the City of Pasadena’s residents; and Homeless Census and Surveys to provide an accurate number of homeless individuals and qualitative data about their need for services in over 9 different counties in California. She is currently serving our partners and staff in the role of Director of Operations and Impact, in addition to serving on the Steering Committee for Project Homeless Connect which provides services, food, and clothing for our community’s underserved populations. Ms. Connery’s passion is social justice and equity and her expertise is implementing innovative methods of collecting data to better tell these stories. In addition to her love of her nieces and nephews, she also enjoys traveling, exploring the outdoors, enjoying live music, and spending time with her two dogs. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. < Back Laura@appliedsurveyresearch.org

View Full Report Executive Summary Process & Outcome Evaluations Process-oriented evaluations look at how well an effort is being implemented, usually for the formative purposes of making improvements. Outcome-oriented evaluations look at the summative impact of an effort on participants. Most of ASR’s evaluations include both process and outcome components so we can help you get a holistic view of how your efforts are helping create positive change. Highlight Project: First 5 Sacramento Evaluation Report < Back View Full Report Additional work samples F5 Santa Clara F5 Tehama View Full Report Exec Summary View Full Report Exec Summary F5 Siskiyou View Full Report Exec Summary CAFES Program, Santa Cruz County Probation Department View Report

Sofia Stepanyan, PhD Senior Research Analyst Dr. Stepanyan is a developmental and research psychologist with expertise in behavioral research and data analysis. She has over 10 years of experience designing and implementing research projects, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. She also has extensive experience with community-based evaluations, surveys, needs assessments, and strategic planning efforts. Dr. Stepanyan also has over 10 years of experience in higher education. Prior to joining ASR, she was an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Gannon University, where her research focused on understanding the development of youth behavioral, emotional, and psychosocial problems. Her work has been published in leading journals such as Journal of Adolescence, The Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Children. Dr. Stepanyan received a BA degree in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles and MA and Ph.D degrees in Developmental Psychology from the University of California, Riverside. < Back Sofia@appliedsurveyresearch.org

View Full Report Executive Summary Needs Assessments By taking a broad scan of a community’s quality of life, ASR’s needs assessments set the foundation for collaborators to make collective impact. ASR’s needs assessments have focused on a variety of populations, such as youth, children witnessing domestic violence, farmworkers, veterans, older adults, and the Black/African American community. Highlight Project: Santa Cruz County Black Health Matters Spotllght < Back View Report Additional work samples Santa Clara County Senior Needs Assessment View Report San Mateo County Veteran Needs Assessment View Report

View Full Report Executive Summary Community Assessments By taking a broad scan of a community’s quality of life, ASR’s community assessments set the foundation for collaborators to make collective impact. ASR’s Santa Cruz County Community Assessment Project was the longest running community assessment project in the country (1995-2020). Other assessments have focused on a variety of populations, such as youth, children witnessing domestic violence, farmworkers, veterans, older adults, and the Black/African Ancestry community. Highlight Project: Santa Cruz County Community Assessment Project View Full Report Executive Summary < Back Additional work samples Stanislaus Youth & Family Spotlight Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley Report Card View Report Card Exec Summary View Full Report Exec Summary Stanislaus County CAP View Full Report Exec Summary Children & Youth Well-being Santa Cruz County Spotlight View Report

We stand for wellbeing for all. ASR continues to grow partnerships with those who appreciate our community-based participatory approach and share our values. Contact Us Today! At ASR we are committed to: Learn more about what equity-driven research can do for you. Honoring participant experiences Ensuring that our work is founded in principles of anti-racism and access for all Continuous improvement Rigorous, actionable, and easy-to-share results

Kim Gillette, MPH Senior Project Manager Kim Gillette joined ASR in June 2021. She has over 20 years of experience managing nonprofit and government programs, including developing and evaluating programs, fundraising, and building collaborations to improve communities. Some of her recent ASR projects include the Kaiser Permanente East Bay Community Health Needs Assessment, San Mateo County Juvenile Probation annual programmatic evaluations, and the First 5 Solano report on Foundation Giving in Solano County and the Bay Area. In her last role, as a consultant at BuildingBlox Consulting, Kim provided training to nonprofit executives and board members to effectively lead their organizations, coached leaders and provided them with tools and expertise to solve challenges, and conducted needs and feasibility assessments to help nonprofit organizations strategically plan for the future. Prior to that, she was the Director of the Daly City Youth Health Center for ten years. In this role she managed the team members and operations of a comprehensive health center for low-income youth, providing them with primary health care, behavioral health services, health education and vocation programs. She successfully led the planning and fundraising to enable the Health Center to move into a new, state-of-the-art, teen-friendly facility. Kim received her Master of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan in Health Behavior Health Education and Interdepartmental Concentration in Reproductive and Women’s health and her Bachelor’s in Psychology from UC Berkeley. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, hiking, crafting, and snuggling in the hammock with her pup and a good book. < Back Gillette@appliedsurveyresearch.org

View Full Report Executive Summary Homelessness Assessments In 1999, ASR pioneered a methodology to help county and municipal housing authorities conduct their point-in-time (PIT) homeless assessments. ASR’s methodology has been cited as a best practice by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Every two years, ASR conducts between 10-14 PIT counts for various locales in the Western United States. Highlight Project: County of Marin Point in Time Report on Homelessness < Back View Report Additional work samples Alameda PIT Homelessness Report View Report Santa Cruz PIT Homelessness Report View Report Sonoma PIT Homelessness Report View Report Santa Clara PIT Homelessness Report View Report

View Full Report Executive Summary Public Safety ASR’s partnerships in the public safety arena include the City of Watsonville’s Committee on Policing and Social Equity, and multi-disciplinary family violence response teams aimed at protecting adult victims and children. Project Highlight: City of Watsonville Ad Hoc Committee on Policing and Social Equity View Report < Back Additional work samples Half Moon Bay CARES Program View Summary Santa Cruz County Criminal Justice Council Report 2022 View Report Santa Cruz County Criminal Justice Council Report 2021 View Report CAFES Program, Santa Cruz County Probation Department View Report

Kim Carpenter, PhD VP of Research and Evaluation Joining ASR in 2010, Dr. Carpenter brings over 20 years of knowledge and experience in the child development and early intervention fields. Her graduate and post-doctoral work focused on the social and emotional development of young children and their families, including the impacts of maternal depression and child maltreatment. Since 2010, Dr. Carpenter has led mixed-methods community-based evaluations, surveys, and needs assessments at ASR in areas including early child development, school readiness, child mental health, parent/family support, and youth development. Recently completed projects include: Youth needs assessments and local action plans in San Mateo and Ventura counties, Kaiser Permanente Community Health Needs Assessments in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, and program evaluations for Educare California at Silicon Valley, First 5 Contra Costa, and Santa Clara County Dependency and Collaborative Courts. Dr. Carpenter’s published works include a study in the Journal Child Maltreatment in 2008 on the impact of child neglect on development entitled ‘Emotion Knowledge in Young Neglected Children’, as well as conference presentations over the past 20 years at meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development, the International Conference on Infant Studies, and the Association for Psychological Science. In addition to her work at ASR, Dr. Carpenter enjoys hiking, kayaking/SUP, snowboarding, and creating stained-glass art. She holds PhD and MS degrees in Developmental Psychology from Vanderbilt University, and a BA degree in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. < Back Kim@appliedsurveyresearch.org