Path Finder Project

WYSAC IT and evaluation staff are working with the United Way of Natrona County to develop a website and provide evaluation assistance on the newly-created Path Finder Project. The United Way of Natrona County received a “Technology Opportunities Program” grant from the U.S. department of Commerce to establish this innovative project.

The Path Finder Project is a consortium of social service providers located in a vast, sparsely populated region of central Wyoming. These non-profit organizations serve approximately 67,000 people who live in a county almost 500 square miles larger than the state of Connecticut. The Path Finder Project will link twenty social service agencies, Casper College, the Natrona County Schools and the City of Casper. Multiple computer stations scattered throughout the area will provide access to the Path Finder website, where information on all available services will be found and where initial application for most services will be possible. The consortium members will use the technology network to access and use information to analyze and improve their services. The service providers will learn to use the web-based system developed by WYSAC IT staff to gather and analyze data effectively in planning, implementing, and evaluating programs and services. WYSAC evaluation staff will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the Path Finder Project as a whole while providing ongoing evaluation training and technical assistance to the service providers as needed.

The goals of the Path Finder Project are: (1) to allow those in need to more easily obtain information about and access to the full range of services for which they are eligible; (2) to use technology to leverage scarce resources and provide better services to clients; and (3) to develop organizational capacity within the non-profits to gather, analyze and use information through technology for planning and improvement of services.

Project Team