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
November 2020 – August 2021
Final Report
Project Details
Through this needs assessment effort, The LEAP Institute used a variety of surveys, meetings, interviews, forums, and multilingual educational materials to engage and 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.
Funding Details
Voucher Total: $50,000
By the Numbers
Community Engagement Activities
- 2-3 Public workshops
- A Series of individual interviews
Estimated Quantifiable Benefits
- Direct Jobs: 1
- Indirect Jobs: 1
- Induced Jobs: 1
Community Details
The project focused on the unincorporated Eastern Coachella Valley community of Mecca, especially the area inhabited by the Purhepecha, 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 Purhepecha are populations 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 Purhepecha 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.
Community Benefits
The needs assessment identified the needs and transportation gaps in the Mecca community, to increase residents’ awareness on clean transportation, mobility options, and resources that are available to them. The main goal was to address concerns that are vital to the disadvantaged community, such as, the length of time waiting for public transportation service; the lack of shade and lighting at the bus stops; cultural concerns; better access to jobs, education, recreation, and medical care; and lack of safety around accessing public transportation
Outreach & Engagement Strategies
- Phone surveys
- Meetings
- Interviews
- Door-to-door outreach
- Forums
- Public workshop
- Multilingual material
- Churches
Target Populations
- Latinx
- Low-income
- Indigenous immigrants
Partnership Structure
Voucher Recipient
The Latino Equity Advocacy & Policy Institute (The LEAP Institute) is a Latino-Valley based environmental justice community institution in Fresno. Its mission is to engage San Joaquin Valley communities to increase social justice awareness, strengthen grassroots leadership and empower community members to achieve environmental justice while improving community health. The LEAP Institute created the Green Raiteros program which provides a volunteer ride-share service with cost-effective transportation to underserved farmworker communities.
Project Partners
- Biodico Renewables, LLC