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

publicinvolvement@wilbursmith.com

Back to Circular E-C054: Third National Community Impact Assessement Conference