Community programs ensure society addresses various welfare needs of its people. For instance, health programs educate individuals on how they can maintain a healthy lifestyle. Community education programs, on the other hand, are established to promote learning and social development individuals and groups in the society. Community programs are usually non-profit and seek funding through respective ministerial departments, government grants, or donations from well-wishers ( Rehbein & Schuler, 2015) . The number and types of community programs in a region, state, or city depends on the specific needs of community members living in those areas. Areas such as Stafford TX, Sugar Land, and Missouri City have a lot of community resources targeting particular population groups. Though the community resources are available, some are under limited use, have barriers to access, and needs improvement to ensure proper service delivery.
Stafford TX, Sugar Land, and Missouri City have a lot of community programs that cut across various important social sectors, including health, security, education, entertainment, and housing. The primary government health programs available in the three cities include Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) (Savage, Kub, & Groves, 2016). The department of police in the areas has also strived to establish community outreach programs to enhance the safety of community members. Such programs include Community Foot Patrol, House Watch Programs, Crime Prevention Camera Program, and National Night Out. Education programs that promote community relations, mentorship, learning, and development of community members include the Fort Bend Education Foundation in Sugar Land. Also, the public libraries in the three cities have programs that allow volunteers to assist fundraising, book sales, and donations.
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The available entertainment and recreation programs offer safe and constructive environments for community members. Such programs target non-school hours when most youths and teenagers lack close adult supervision and are thus more vulnerable to gang recruitment and community violence. Some notable entertainment programs include Performing Arts Program, Athletics Program, and Tennis Program. Some programs have been established to preserve the environment and protect animals. Housing programs aim at ensuring that urban community members have easy access to decent housing and a suitable living environment. An example of a housing program in the cities that aims at transforming the lives of community members is the Community Development Block Grant Program.
Targeted Population
Although the available community programs aimed to improve the welfare of community members, each address the needs of the specific targeted population. For instance, health programs were to offer medical assistance to community members who are poor and cannot afford health insurance. Health insurance programs help individuals with limited financial capabilities or unemployed to have access to better and quality health care. Community health resources influence health by reducing the burden of obesity and chronic diseases among the poor (Savage, Kub, & Groves, 2016). Community security programs target individuals living in neighborhoods that have high crime rates. The security programs reduce residential crimes by encouraging residents to support neighborhood crime through teamwork, victim assistance to reduce both short-term and long-term trauma, and the use of CCTV cameras to catch and arrest criminals.
Education community resources, on the other hand, target members of civic organizations, schools, or church groups. The programs are for adults, children, and teenagers exposed to an unsuitable living environment filled with crime, drug abuse, and irresponsible sexual behaviors (Rehbein & Schuler, 2015) . Through mentoring, education programs create awareness on the dangers of rebellious behaviors and to manage teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Entertainment programs available in the three cities strive to ensure that youths engage in constructive activities that not only promote peaceful social interactions but also prevent them from indulging in destructive activities. Entertainment resources, such as athletics programs and summer day camps, keep the youth busy and committed, thus preventing them from engaging in self-destructive activities such as crime. By participating in entertainment activities, they are also in a position to increase their self-efficacy, develop self-discipline, and decrease criminal offenses.
Housing programs target the homeless and people living in dilapidated housing conditions. The housing programs solicit funds from the department of housing and donors, which then invest in providing decent housing and a suitable environment for the struggling community members (Fawcett et al., 2015). The funds channeled from the housing programs also facilitate low and moderate-income residents. Other projects that the community housing programs are concerned with include infrastructural development and improving public services throughout the community, especially to individuals living in densely populated residential areas.
How the Resources are Used
The communities in Stafford, TX, Sugar Land and Missouri City have embraced the efforts advocated by most community programs. People from groups in the community are more than willing to volunteer in the activities supported by the community programs. For instance, most residents of Missouri City, Sugar Land, and Stafford TX volunteer in various crime watch programs. As a result, crime rates in places, such as Missouri, are at a minimum rate. Recent research findings show that Missouri City is one of the safest places in the state of Texas, with a crime rate of 13 per 1,000 residents. Sugar Land City is ranked position 20 in the U.S as one of the safest cities in the nation with a crime rate of seventy-one percent below the national average. The rate of crime in Stafford is, however, slightly higher than the national average by two percent but is safer than eight percent of the cities in the nation.
The people of these three cities have also positively embraced the health programs. Above eighty-five percent of community members have health coverage in Missouri and Stafford TX ( Rehbein & Schuler, 2015) . The population of people covered by health plans in Sugar Land is about ninety-one percent. Most people with low and moderate-income are now living in decent houses and suitable environment courtesy of the housing programs. There is an effective implementation of entertainment and education programs. The basketball, tennis, and skateboarding competition has made the youths committed, thus shielding them from engaging in criminal activities. Through education programs, the youth knows the potential dangers of illicit drugs and substance abuse. As a result, most youths are striving to refrain from substance abuse to lead a healthy life.
Barriers to Accessing Resources
Barriers to accessing the resources are partly created by community members and also by the organizations delivering the services. The first barrier is the lack of understanding by some sections of the community members on the need for services offered by the community programs. It, therefore, becomes difficult for the non-governmental institutions and the government to convince people to subscribe to the available services. Although stereotyping and prejudice are unacceptable, the minority groups face unequal treatment ( Valaitis et al., 2017) . The institutions that come with the programs also come up with rules that make it difficult for people to use the available facilities and services.
The resource that Needs Improvement
Education and mentoring programs need improvement. The programs have not been successful in preventing most youths from engaging in drug and substance abuse. Various cities in Texas State, including Stafford, Missouri, and Sugar Land, are facing a substance abuse crisis. Recent study findings show that the drug abuse mortality in Missouri city is 15.7 deaths per 100, 000of the population. The figure is slightly above the nation’s average of 14.8 percent ( Fawcett et al., 2015) .
What Should be Done to Improve Education and Mentoring Programs
The program's structure should provide actionable steps and milestones aimed at changing the behavior of those abuse drugs and substances. The rules of engagement in the program should be relaxed to make it easy for those willing to reform to engage, anywhere, and at any time. It is also wise to offer incentives as a way of improving the number of people engaging with the program.
Conclusion
Generally, the various community resources available in Stafford, TX, Sugar Land, and Missouri City have helped improve the lives of residents. The cooperative and hardworking citizens of the cities have also led to the successful implementation of the policies. The residents are always ready to volunteer and engage in programs aimed at improving the living standards of community members.
References
Fawcett, S. B., Collie-Akers, V. L., Schultz, J. A., & Kelley, M. (2015). Measuring community programs and policies in the Healthy Communities Study. American journal of preventive medicine , 49 (4), 636-641.
Rehbein, K., & Schuler, D. A. (2015). Linking corporate community programs and political strategies: A resource-based view. Business & Society , 54 (6), 794-821.
Savage, C.L., Kub, J.E., & Groves, S.L. (2016). Public health science and nursing practice caring for populations. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company.
Valaitis, R. K., Carter, N., Lam, A., Nicholl, J., Feather, J., & Cleghorn, L. (2017). Implementation and maintenance of patient navigation programs linking primary care with community-based health and social services: a scoping literature review. BMC health services research , 17 (1), 116.
