Hafa Adai! We are proud to welcome you to the Guam Buildup Web site. This is an exciting and historic time for Guam as we prepare our people for an unprecedented era of prosperity.

Guam is the Tip of the Spear for our country's mission in this part of the world, where emerging threats and growing American interests rest. Just as the people of Guam have answered the call of duty fighting in every war and conflict of the past century, we stand ready to support our country in this strategic mission to help improve the security of the nation.

As the military expands its presence on our island, we are strengthening our infrastructure and making every effort to ensure this growth is sustained well into the future.

We invite everyone to participate in the tremendous growth that already is changing the face of our island. Through this Web site, we will share the latest information about the Guam Buildup and the success of our ongoing efforts to prepare our community for the changes ahead.

Everyone is a partner at the table and we are working diligently to ensure the success of this extraordinary endeavor. We thank you for your time and interest in Guam and we look forward to sharing these exciting opportunities with you.

Over the next five years (i.e., 2010 – 2014) the Department of Defense will transfer 8,000 U.S. Marines and 9,000 family dependants, along with military hardware and equipment, from Okinawa, Japan, to Guam. To prepare for this transition, the Government of Guam is actively engaged in an overall assessment to determine the long-term socio-economic impacts on Guam’s civilian population and its physical infrastructure, and to anticipate the needs of its unique communities.

The Office of the Secretary, United States (U.S.) Department of Health and Human Services, requested that the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) provide technical assistance to the Government of Guam. The ANA technical assistance project encompassed: 1) a review of available human service data and impact reports, 2) the development of a methodology and protocols for gathering qualitative information from community leaders and service providers, 3) meetings with Mayors from the villages, community leaders, and representatives from community-based human service nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), 4) meetings with officials from government-sponsored human service organizations, 5) community documentation of current gaps in community-based human service delivery systems, and 6) community-identified strategies for dealing with service gaps. As a result of the technical assistance provided by ANA in close collaboration with Guam’s Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS), a summary report has been prepared to provide a baseline of service needs and experiences and the challenges to be addressed.

This report provides an analysis of Guam’s existing human service delivery system from the perspective of community members, derived from information gathered during four group meetings with Mayors, traditional leaders, local NGOs, and the DPHSS staff during January 8 through January 15, 2009. A total of 88 attendees representing 18 of Guam’s 19 village communities participated in the meetings and contributed insight, identified challenges, and proposed numerous community solutions. These insights, anticipated challenges, and possible solutions will assist the Government of Guam and DPHSS in the preparation of a five-year strategic plan to address the foreseeable growth in and demand for community- based human services to support the needs of children, youth, adults, families, and the elderly.

 

Click here to view and/or download this report in it's entirety. (pdf format)