Listening Campaign Update: What We've Learned So Far

Last month ONE Wake leaders launched our grassroots listening campaign at our March 9 Annual Meeting. Since then ONE Wake member institutions have engaged close to 500 members of their institutions and surrounding communities. Our total goal is to speak with 2,100 people by the time of our next Internal Assembly on June 8.

ONE Wake staff have received and recorded notes from each session to date, and have tallied each concern mentioned. Included below are a list of the top three concerns that have emerged so far:

1) So far the cost of housing remains the top pressure for families across the county. One new element driving cost: rising utility payments. Duke Energy has recently announced rate increases of 16%, further squeezing the budgets of middle to low income Wake households. 

2) Many in Wake County still lack access to reliable public transportation. Lack of access to public transportation was the fourth most mentioned concern during our 2019 campaign that engaged over 3,000 members of our communities. So far this spring leaders have heard many stories about lack of routes in rural areas, inadequate service frequency on existing routes, and limited hours of service.  

3) Mental health concerns are a new, top issue since our last listening campaign in 2019. Four years ago, mental health concerns were mentioned infrequently. Now, post-pandemic, concerns about mental health and access to mental health services have soared to the #3 spot in our listening session results to date. 

ONE Wake has assembled a toolkit to support all leaders participating in our 2023 Listening Campaign. You can find it on our website here. Want to create a listening strategy for your community? Contact us at [email protected].