Mount Prospect gathering input on possible Community Connections Center expansion

Mount Prospect is inviting the public to a series of meetings the village calls Ideas Exchanges to gather input on a possible expansion of the Community Connections Center.

The center, at 1711 W. Algonquin Road, is shared by the village’s Human Services Department and the Mount Prospect Public Library’s South Branch. It was created more than 15 years ago to make village services more accessible to residents on the south end of town.

The last formal community needs assessment in 2007 led to the center’s opening.

The village board approved a needs assessment as part of its 2023 strategic plan.

“The Community Connections Center has done a great job breaking down barriers to accessing village services, like transit and language, and we want to keep the momentum going,” Mount Prospect Human Services Director Julie Kane said.

Nearly one-third of Mount Prospect’s 56,852 residents are foreign-born and more than 40% speak a language other than English at home.

Initium Health, a Denver-based health care and creative agency will facilitate the sessions. The agency is conducting a full needs assessment for the village, at a cost of $99,550, using American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The events will be held at the following locations and dates:

The goals of the updated needs assessment include identifying barriers residents face to accessing social services and health care services.

“The heart of our process is to ensure equity is community listening sessions and interviews with key stakeholders,” said James Corbett, a principal with Initium Health.