Survey Outlines Citizen Worries

Homelessness and crime are the two greatest problems in Cambridge, according to residents interviewed in a recently released city-sponsored survey.

Homelessness was recorded as the most important problem in Cambridge by 14.6 percent of the people, followed by crime at 14 percent [see related story] and affordable housing at 12.7 percent.

But city councillors said yesterday that perhaps the survey's most significant finding was that Cambridge's neediest residents have insufficient knowledge of the city services available to them. "In some cases the perception of the residents conflicts with reality," said Councillor Francis H. Duehay. "The question is how to organize the information for them."

The survey, the first of its kind, was conducted by the Center for Survey Research at the University of Massachusetts at Boston to gauge the public's opinion on Cambridge's social services.

Three-hundred-eleven randomly selected Cambridge residents were interviewed about topics ranging from employment status to health care access.

"We [city services] wanted to link what we think and what the residents think and also to find out if there's a gulf between what the city spends its taxes on and what the residents think they need. And it pretty much matches up," said Jill Herold, assistant city manager and one of the panelists presenting the report to the city council last night.

One half of the residents interviewed who said they were in need of services did not use them, according to the survey. And although the interviewers didn't ask what obstacles the residents faced in accessing services, the information availability was a part of the problem, said Herold.

"The lack of access to services showed nicely in this survey, but it has shown in every study ever done," Herold said.

Ten percent of the residents surveyed said they were unable to get health care because they couldn't afford it but those residents were unaware of the city's health care provisions, Herold said. "The issue is how to make information available through multi-media ... to make it more visible," said Herold.

Councillor Alice K. Wolf suggested that the creation of an information center should be the first outcome of the survey results.

Duehay, backed by a majority of the councillors, said that since the report showed that 21 percent of residents access information about services through city hall, a comprehensive directory to all Cambridge offices should be placed in the building.

Although the councillors agreed on the need for increased information, they said the city must also address the city's problems.

"It's clear that the people in our city are cognizant that they have needs and that the city should be responding," Wolf said.