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<br /> <br /> <br />Orange County to improve Family <br />Success Alliance to help families in <br />poverty <br />By Maggie Monsrud | Published 9 hours ago <br /> <br />Orange County officials are engaging the community to improve the Family Success Alliance, a <br />program that focuses on addressing the needs of Orange County families and children that live in <br />poverty. <br />Meredith McMonigle, project coordinator for the Family Success Alliance, said the program is in the <br />beginning stages, which makes community engagement crucial. <br />"We want to tap into the local knowledge and wisdom of the community," she said. "It's important <br />that it be a community driven project." <br />The program concentrates on two zones of Orange County — Zone 4 and Zone 6. <br />Zone 4 is located between Interstate 40 and Interstate 85 in central Orange County. Zone 6 extends <br />southwest from downtown Chapel Hill to N.C. Highway 54. <br />Volunteers visited both zones Saturday to survey residents, asking a wide range of questions about <br />topics like health, transportation, feelings of safety and child care. <br />Stacy Shelp, spokeswoman for the Orange County Health Department, said 20 surveys were <br />completed on Saturday and 200 more were left at doorsteps. Residents are also able to complete <br />the survey online at the county's website. <br />Shelp said the data from these surveys will help the program's advisory council determine which <br />priorities to focus on. <br />"We're hoping this information coming straight from the community will tell us where the biggest <br />needs are and where the biggest strengths are," she said. <br />Orange County Commissioner Bernadette Pelissier, who is a member of the advisory council, said <br />the survey will help the council evaluate the efforts that already exist in the county.