— Programs
Problem Gambling
Community Readiness Assessment Grant
Now accepting applications!
Community Readiness Assessment Overview
The Community Readiness Assessment (CRA) grant addresses a critical gap in Ohio’s problem gambling prevention system by equipping local agencies, community groups and coalitions with the tools to assess their community’s readiness and translate findings into data-driven insights that guide future prevention efforts. By beginning with the CRA, this project ensures that future strategies are rooted in evidence and tailored to community needs. The foundation of this work is the evidence-based Tri-Ethnic Community Readiness Model, which defines the stages of readiness and offers a structured process for gathering and analyzing data.
What is the Tri-Ethnic Community Readiness Model :
The Community Readiness Assessment (CRA) is grounded in the evidence-based Tri-Ethnic Community Readiness Model, a framework designed to assess a community’s readiness to address a specific issue and to guide the development of effective, community-appropriate interventions. The model identifies a community’s stage of readiness through key stakeholder interviews that measure awareness, capacity, and engagement across five key dimensions. Scores are determined using the model’s standardized scoring process, generating a baseline of findings that highlight strengths, gaps, and opportunities for growth.
The CRA provides a roadmap for moving toward effective approaches and programs. Its primary goals are to determine a community’s current level of readiness to address problem gambling and to support a data-driven approach for creating sustainable strategies that align with the community’s capacity to address gambling-related harms.
Benefits of a CRA
Conserve Resources
It conserves valuable resources (time, money, people) by guiding the selection of strategies that are most likely to be successful and effective
Simple to Administer
It doesn’t take professional expertise to administer or score
Community Involvement
It promotes community recognition and ownership, ensuring that strategies are culturally congruent and sustainable
Collaborate With Experts
It encourages the use of local experts and resources who understand your community
Manageable Steps
Community change can be complex and challenging, but the model breaks down the process into a series of manageable steps
Creates Clear Direction
It establishes a community vision for healthy change
Dimensions of Readiness
These dimensions guide how communities are prepared to take action and help shape the approach to creating meaningful change.
As part of this process, organizations will:
Analyze local data to determine a problem of practice or specific gambling-related harm
Select 8-10 community stakeholders who have a pulse on your community
Conduct structured 30-60 minute interviews with each stakeholder focused on your problem of practice
Transcribe each interview
Score interviews to determine dimension and overall readiness score
Review goals and strategies appropriate for your community based on assessment results
