I Commuting in Context: a Qualitative Study of Transportation Challenges for Disadvantaged Job Seekers in Chicago, IL May 4, 20
Commuting in Context: A Qualitative Study of Transportation Challenges for Disadvantaged Job Seekers in Chicago, IL May 4, 2020 Chelsie Coren & Kate Lowe University of Illinois at Chicago Acknowledgements: This report is a joint project of Equiticity, the Metropolitan Planning Council, and the authors. A grant to Equiticity from the Chicago Community Trust supported this research. Sylvia Escarcega led most focus groups and Adam Glueckart assisted with data collection and analysis. The authors revised the draft based on comments from: Audrey Wennink, Jesus Barajas, Beverly Scott, and Jacky Grimshaw. i Executive Summary In Chicago and elsewhere, access to employment opportunities varies dramatically across individuals, racial groups, and neighborhoods. While quantitative studies have demonstrated important commute disparities by income and race, less is known about how social contexts, transportation systems, and employment dynamics interact to produce transportation barriers to employment for disadvantaged job seekers. This study adopts a qualitative approach to identify transportation barriers and potential solutions from the perspectives of disadvantaged job seekers, as well as job coaches who work directly with them to obtain employment. In 2019, the research team conducted focus groups and brief surveys with job seekers (n=82) and job coaches (n=42) at employment centers on the South and West sides of Chicago. Most job seeker respondents were Black (78%) and did not have a four-year college degree (81%). Results demonstrate that disadvantaged workers experience a complex web of transportation and intersecting barriers that make it difficult to travel to and retain employment. In fact, almost three- quarters of respondents indicated that transportation was a barrier to getting or keeping a job.
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