The Porch Light Initiative is more than a ground-breaking alternative therapeutic model aimed at improving individual and community health through human connection and art - it is a pioneering research study. The Yale School of Medicine is currently conducting a community-based participatory research study on the Porch Light Initiative to assess the impact the program has on individual and community-level outcome measures. The rigorous evaluation design is new to the field of public art and includes the following methods: the careful tracking of program activities, the use of comparison sites, community surveys, systematic observations of mural sites, pre/post/and follow-up interviews, and case studies (methods detailed below).
The study is ongoing. Any findings will be disseminated publically. Please keep an eye out for future reports!
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Description of Evaluation Methods |
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INDIVIDUAL OUTCOMES |
Program Implementation Data Participants’ involvement in each phase of the project will be monitored and tracked overtime. |
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Longitudinal Interviews Up to 35 participants per year at each site will be recruited on a continuing basis to complete interviews at 3 points in time (before program involvement, after completion of mural, and at 3-month follow-up). A total of up to 200 individuals in the intervention neighborhoods and a comparable number of individuals in the comparison neighborhoods will complete 3 interviews each. |
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Case Study Interviews Up to 5 participants at each intervention site for a total of up to 20 individuals will be recruited to complete extensive in-depth interviews at 3 points in time (before program involvement, after completion of mural, and 3-month follow-up). |
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Focus Groups At the conclusion of each project year, focus groups with providers will be held at each site to identify site-specific impacts. |
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COMMUNITY OUTCOMES |
Community Interviews In the Spring and Fall of each year, neighborhood interviews will be completed within a one-half mile of each of the six sites with up to 80 community residents; up to 1800 interviews are expected to be completed. |
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Community Observations Systematic social observations of neighborhoods will be completed by trained observers in the Spring and Fall of each year to correspond with the community interviews. |
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Archival Indicator Data Archival data available from partner City of Philadelphia Departments (e.g., Behavioral Health, Health, Housing and Community Development, Police, etc.), will be obtained to examine program impacts on behavioral health services, neighborhood commercial activity, and crime over time. |
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