Mecca Community Transportation Needs Assessment
Clean Mobility Options Voucher Pilot Program
Community Transportation Needs Assessment
The Latino Equity Advocacy & Policy Institute (The LEAP Institute) | Mecca Community Transportation Needs Assessment
Project Details
LEAP’s needs assessment’s grant term ran from November 2020 to August 2021. Through this needs assessment effort, The LEAP Institute used a variety of surveys, meetings, interviews, forums, and multilingual educational materials to engage and conduct outreach to the community groups and community members. Participation was open to all the residents of the community, however, the survey sampled at least 10% of the community. The LEAP Institute worked with local community-based organizations including, but not limited to, Comite Civico del Valle Inc., local churches, and Biodico Renewables, LLC, as the Project Advisor.
To learn more about project implementation, watch this video.
Project Outcomes
Funding Details
Voucher Total: $50,000
Community Engagement Activities
- 2-3 Public workshops
- Individual interviews series
Community Details
The project focused on the unincorporated Eastern Coachella Valley community of Mecca, especially the area inhabited by the Purepecha, a group of indigenous residents who immigrated from Michoacan, Mexico. The population is largely of Hispanic or Latino origin, with high rates of linguistic isolation, poverty, and unemployment; the median income in 2018 was $23,895. The Purepecha populations are historically excluded from participating in community and transportation planning events in the Eastern Coachella Valley. The community of Mecca and especially the area inhabited by the Purepecha lacks adequate and affordable clean transportation options. The Sunline Public Transportation System has two routes servicing the area on a daily basis. One has a travel frequency of every 60 minutes, and the other every 180 minutes. The system is not efficient enough to give them better access to jobs, education, recreation, medical care, and healthy foods.
Partners
Grantee
The Latino Equity Advocacy & Policy Institute
Project Partners
Biodico Renewables, LLC