Can Better Mobility Help End Homelessness? Grand Junction’s Groundbreaking Approach Revealed!
- The Transportation Alliance
- May 7
- 3 min read
By Liz Currie, Marketing Coordinator, Sunshine Rides
Like many communities nationwide, Grand Junction, Colorado is facing startling numbers of people experiencing homelessness (PEH). Since 2019, the unhoused population of the city has risen 43%, with an estimated 2,300 individuals without housing – the majority of which are unsheltered.1
These stats are in part due to services becoming more difficult to navigate when existing on the fringes of society. Many PEH are physically removed from supportive infrastructure and without steady access to technology or reliable transportation, compounded by a lack of basic needs being met – to name a few barriers.
Those who participate in conversations at the local level know that structurally addressing homelessness requires a nuanced approach. Solutions require comprehensive collaboration between government, social services organizations and the private sector. Reporting is dependent on data of a population whose needs and challenges are inherently difficult to gather, measure and track.
The Grand Junction community does not fall short on efforts or advancements, however. The Mesa County Collaborative for the Unhoused is a multidisciplinary collective that has been working diligently to engage wide-ranging perspectives and expertise, including and most importantly, people with lived experience of homelessness. Check out the City page for a collection of recent, local reports that lay a roadmap for how the community plans to ultimately eliminate homelessness through a Built for Zero strategy.
Limited access to transportation has been identified as a significant barrier to exiting homelessness.
Physically navigating community services and other necessary errands poses distinct challenges for those who may have everything they own in a shopping cart. According to the Grand Junction Area Unhoused Strategy, “Limited mobility and accessibility intensify difficulties for PEH when accessing supportive services, as they face limited alternative transportation options. Spread out vital services across the county make it challenging for PEH to reach them, compounded by transfer requirements that hinder prompt access. High transportation costs, whether public or private, pose a significant barrier for PEH already burdened by financial constraints”.
Reliable transportation enhances access to essential services, “leading to improved quality of life, independence and self-reliance”.2
In the image below, the report evaluates access to transportation as significant, both in cost and impact.
As a main provider of Non-Emergency Medical Transportation in Mesa County, Sunshine Rides announces the opening of Sunshine Community.
Sunshine Rides is making strides to join the web of community initiatives working to fill the resource-navigation gap. Sunshine Community is a 501(c)3 created with a mission to provide personal administrative services to PEH and those at risk of losing their homes.
In conjunction with recommendations from the Unhoused Strategy Report, Sunshine Community in collaboration with Sunshine Rides plans to develop scheduled and on-demand ride sharing services for PEH to and from the most used resources in Grand Junction, including shelters, medical and social service providers and more. Sunshine Community also plans to provide secure “safety deposit box” type storage for important documentation such as birth certificates, which are often stolen or inevitably misplaced in precarious circumstances. Services will overall cater to foundational aspects of stability, including an on-site notary, trauma-informed case management, computer workstations, technical support, mental health and other resource referrals, etc. The organization also plans to provide classes relating to job interview training, digital literacy and more.
The overarching goal of Sunshine Community is to support a significant number of PEH in playing an active role in regaining stable housing and improving their quality of life – with a focus on restoring dignity along their journey. Grand Junction is honing in on improving systems of coordination, more widely known as a “continuum of care”. Sunshine Community and Sunshine Rides are playing a leading role in promoting the self-determination of our neighbors, who we know are capable of thriving with access to the essential resources we all require.
1. City of Grand Junction, 2023 Housing Annual Report
2. Grand Junction Area Unhoused Strategy, JG Research and Evaluation
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