Durham County community engagement analyst outlines outreach priorities, volunteer push and resource hub

Miles Phan, community engagement analyst for Durham County's Community Partnerships and Engagement team, described the unit's twofold mission: community engagement and partnerships. “Our job as community partnerships and engagement is to go out, meet people, connect with them, and figure out how do we connect them with our work here at Durham County,” Phan said.

Phan said the department is small—an unfilled director position, one analyst (Phan) and a specialist—and that the team's work focuses on connecting residents and community leaders to county programs and partner organizations. He described a hub-and-spoke approach that leans on community leaders to broaden outreach and explained that staff help match organizational needs (for example, space or technical skills) across partners.

On community needs, Phan highlighted financial pressure for many residents and the challenges people face with change, and said the department tries to connect residents with the right services and organizations to reduce burdens. He cited past presentations and neighborhood work in places such as the West End, Braggtown and local libraries as outreach examples.

Looking ahead, Phan said top priorities include increasing Durham County employee volunteerism using allotted volunteer time, building a resource hub and database to make services easier to find, and continuing relationship-building with community organizations and other county departments. He invited residents to contact the team at communityengagement@dconc.gov and said staff often engage through surveys and public meetings that will be posted on the county website and social media.

Phan closed by reiterating that connecting people to resources and partners is central to the department's mission and that partnership-driven outreach multiplies the department's reach across the county.