ESPA Releases New Report --The Participation of Human Services Organizations in Mobility Management: Results of a Rapid Response Survey to Human Services Organizations and United We Ride Ambassadors

By Whitney E. Gray

ESPA is pleased to release results from the ESPA Mobility Management Rapid Response Study, in which we sought to understand the participation of human services organizations in mobility management. Prepared for ESPA by the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston, the study helps identify gaps and uncovers the knowledge level of human service professionals regarding mobility management. 

Two survey instruments were developed to solicit input from human services professionals and United We Ride (UWR) Ambassadors. The human services professional survey was designed for a wide range of professionals representing different human service agencies and organizations on both the state and national level. The second survey was designed specifically for the UWR Ambassadors who provide states and territories with hands-on technical assistance in the development and implementation of coordinated human service transportation. Follow-up interviews were also conducted with the UWR Ambassadors.

The results of the study demonstrated the areas in which human service agencies are already involved and ways that they can become more involved in mobility management. When asked to select the kinds of activities in their work that related to mobility management, the human service participants mostly frequently responded “collaborate with other organizations and agencies” (63%). Almost half (48.2%) of respondents indicated that they served on committees and advisory groups and encouraged stakeholders to participate in mobility management.

Figure 3: Type of Work Related to Mobility Management

In addition, almost 60% of respondents were interested in becoming more involved in national mobility management activities. For the full results of the study, download the report The Participation of Human Services Organizations in Mobility Management for free from ESPA’s website.