This Week in MVP: Our New Video

Check out this new 'About MVP' video (recently added to the 'About MVP' page) to learn more about what we do and who we are:

MVP submitted this video to the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA) video contest. No word back yet over whether or not our video placed first, but hopefully we will know soon! Winners of the contest not only receive a monetary prize, but the video will also be shared amongst psychologists and researchers in the Community Psychology field. It's a great way to raise awareness and funds, which is why MVP decided entering the contest would be a viable outlet for spreading the word about the work we do.

Mary Churchill and Sally Highsmith, two of our undergraduate research assistants, compiled the video. All pictures included in the video were taken by participants as part of the pilot MVP session at the Women's Center of Wake County. We had a lot of footage and participant pictures to work with, so we tried to diversify the types of shots used to give viewers an idea of what Raleigh's transportation system is like through the lens of our participants.

The project enabled our team to learn some new skills in movie making and put them to work in raising awareness about our project!

This Week in MVP: "Great experience... BIG difference"!

Feed back from participants has been overwhelmingly positive surrounding advocacy for public transit. One participant stated the project was a "Great experience thus far...I look forward to learning more and participating to make a BIG difference in Raleigh, too!"

Photo of the Week: Overcrowded

A photo taken by a participant shows how overcrowded buses in Raleigh can be! Overcrowded buses leave little room for older transit riders to sit and can be problematic when new passengers are boarding a bus that is already full of people or even must be turned away when a bus is completely full. Another good reason to advocate for more transit in the Triangle!

MVP Awarded SCRA Policy Grant!

The Mobile Voice Project was recently awarded the Society for Community Research and Action's Policy Grant! A big thanks to SCRA for supporting our project. 

The money from this grant is crucial to help us fund the bus tickets we provide to our participants as incentives and to be able to purchase the cameras and other supplies to carry out the project!

This Week in MVP: Results from MVP Pilot so far...

We held the pilot session for the Mobile Voice Project throughout late November and early December of 2012. Our team is hopeful that the data we collected will shed some light on the mobility patterns of the participants from the Women's Center of Wake County, and help us to fine-tune the logistics of the intervention before full implementation.

The numerous photographs taken by the participants were particularly interesting to go through and analyze. MVP team members are currently in the process of compiling the best shots and using them to create a video about the project. I've edited quite a few at this point, and I'd really like to share some of my personal favorites because I think they all illustrate the fact that these women lead complex and different lives, though all of them are affected by transportation in some way.

The Raleigh skyline as seen from South Harrington street.

Some women find it easier to walk in lieu of using public transportation due to delays and bus fare. 

Moore Square Station is a bustling area where Raleigh travelers wait to catch bus connections. 

Pedestrian and public transportation, side by side.

We are excited to share more photos with you through this process. As of right now, we are all working to get "official" sessions of the project underway, both at the Women's Center and at the Helen Wright Center for Women. We will begin full implementation in March, so make sure to check back on this blog for updates!

Photo of the Week: No Sidewalks

A photo taken by a participant to show the terrain she and her daughter have to walk on where there are no sidewalks. Sidewalks are an important piece of our city's infrastructure for those who walk and/or ride transit to get around, particularly to walk safely with children, yet they are still absent in many parts of our city.

Notable News: Southlight project

MVP came across an article this week about an affordable housing project initiative in South Raleigh called Southlight. The proposal has seen almost a year's worth of delay on account of trepidation from residents of the Biltmore Hills Neighborhood Association. The article explained that safety was the primary concern for those already residing in the South Raleigh area, given that some of the future residents of the Southlight Community have criminal backgrounds.

Concern may also stem from the fact that Southlight's property is in a Priority IV area of Raleigh. This means that affordable housing wouldn't normally be allowed in such an area. However, Raleigh's Scatter Site Housing Policy- an initiative wherein supportive housing would be spread to areas of the city with a minority of low-income residents- guarantees that the continuation of the Southlight project.

On Tuesday of this week Southlight's funding request of $450,000 was approved by councilors in the committee of Economic and Budget Development. Next week the entire Council will vote for or against Southlight's request for funds.

This initiative is of interest to us at MVP because regardless of where you look, there has historically been a spatial mismatch between affordable housing for low-income individuals (in Southlight's case, residents would consist of those suffering from substance abuse and mental illness) and access to employment opportunities. Relocation efforts such as Southlight are often met with skepticism by local residents, so the potential problems raised by the Biltmore Hills Neighborhood Association isn't anything new.

It is important to realize the challenges associated with accessing the job market when one lives far from available jobs and has limited access to transportation. Sequestering transportation-disadvantaged individuals to low-income areas of the city will only exacerbate the issue of joblessness. However, when given the resources that we often take for granted such as reliable transportation, housing, and a safe neighborhood environment, low-income individuals have the means to regain control of their life.