Public Involvement Challenges Using High Touch and High Tech
Transcript of Public Involvement Challenges Using High Touch and High Tech
Using
High Touch
and
High Tech
Public Involvement Challenges
The PUBLIC is composed of many different segments
• Upper-income, middle-income, and low-income• Non-minority and minority• Young, middle-aged, and elderly• Educated and uneducated• Transportation independent and dependent• 1st shift and 2nd/3rd shift workers• English speaking and non-English speaking
Traditional Public Involvement techniques do not reach all segments of
the public
They are designed for people like us and generally doesn’t reach the EJ (low-income and minority) populations
Information is provided by websites, newspapers and
newsletters
• Websites assume access to a computer• Websites and newspapers assume a
disposable income• Websites, newspapers, and newsletters
assume the ability to read and speak English
Sensitivity to illiteracy
Sensitivity to illiteracy
Information is requested by telephone, fax, e-mail
or mail
• A 1-800 number may be necessary to provide access
• Many in the EJ populations don’t have access to fax or e-mail
Meetings are held during the week and at night
• Many in the EJ populations work two jobs or work 2nd/3rd shift jobs
• Many in the EJ populations are single mothers with several children who would need child care
• Many in the EJ populations do not have access to transportation
• Many may be elderly and don’t go out after dark
Meetings are held in locations that are
inaccessible or unsafe for EJ populations
• The meeting location may be in our neighborhoods
• The meeting location may not be near EJ neighborhoods
How do you locate the EJ populations
• Utilize the US Census and any local demographic information
• Contact county agencies that administer federal income sensitive programs
• Talk to school officials and ministers
Internet sources
US Census Bureau (www.census.gov);
NC Department of Commerce (www.commerce.state.nc.us);
NC State Data Center (http://sdc.state.nc.us);
The State Library of NC (http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/ncslhome.htm);
TIGER files (www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/index.html);
Geographic Information North Carolina (www.cgia.state.nc.us);
NC Geological Survey (www.geology.enr.state.nc.us) for aerial maps
Terra Server (http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/default.asp);
US Geological Survey (www.usgs.gov) for current and historic maps;
Mobile Home Directories (www.mobilehome.new/communities) and (www.mobilehomeparkstore.com/directory/list.htm);
Mapquest (www.mapquest.com) for street names;
AT&T WorldNet Services (www.infospace.com/info.wnet/);
Anywho (www.anywho.com/index.html);
Yellow pages (www.switchboard.com); and,
Local phone book.
Identify low-income sensitive federal
programs
• Free and reduced price meals• Section 8 housing• Food stamps
Why use these programs?
• The Department of Health and Human Services definition of “low-income” is the threshold of eligibility
• The participants are reevaluated on a frequent basis (real-time information)
• The boundaries of the programs can be smaller that census designations (important in rural areas)
Free and reduced price meals program
http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/
Free and reduced price meals program provides
• School name, address, phone• Number of students by grade• Enrollment by race and ethnicity• Students eligible for free lunch• Students eligible for reduced price lunch
Free and reduced price meals program provides
• Information current as of August of eachschool year
• Information restricted to a specificboundary
Section 8 housing information
http://www.hud.gov/sec8/sec8.cfm
Section 8 housing information provides
• Public housing authority name• Property name• Address• Telephone number• Fax number• Bedrooms• Type of unit (section 8, low-income or both)
Food Stamps
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cga/publications/fo_directory/
Food Stampinformation provides
• Grocery store name and address
Food Stampinformation provides
• Date of electronic benefits transfer • Hours that most recipients shop
How do you get information to the EJ
populations?
• Utilize techniques tailored to these populations
• Understand that you must go to them• Recognize that most of this information
can not be obtained from the internet
Utilize non-traditional techniques
These require that we talk to the
PUBLIC
So we created an
interview form and went
to meet the public
We met them
on their front porches
We met them
at their roadside stand
We met them
in their living rooms
We met them
in their gardens
We met them
in their churches
We met them
in grocery stores
We put newsletters
in their grocery bags
We met them
at PTO/PTA meetings
We met them
on election day
We met them
in restaurants
We met them
in the classroom
We created
“Where Do Roads Come From?”
We created
“Where Do Roads Come From?”
certificates
K Lynn Berry
Utilize school students to give and get information
to their parents
• Write a weekly reader at the 4th/5th
grade level so the student can read it to the parents who may not be able to read or understand English
• Include a survey the student can administer to find out what day of the week, hour of the day/night and where would be a convenient place to meet
We created
“Bookmarks”
• FHWA/NCDOT• NCDPI• USFWS• SHPO• USCOE
Using non-traditional
techniques should reduce or
eliminate potential Title VI
issues
What will this do for your project?
• Begin relationships with community members• Ensure opportunities exist for the public to
participate• Provide historic background information about
the community• Eliminate or reduce environmental justice
issues• AND…
• Create a project that reflects and incorporates the desires and concerns of the public we all say we serve
Back to Circular E-C054: Third National Community Impact Assessement Conference