CONNECTSAFE Support -- Helping for Those Affected by Traumatic Traffic Collisions
With over 52,000 traumatic traffic collisions in LA County every year, SAFE Support is there to help fill the gaps in the social and government safety net.
Are any other organizations collaborating on this proposal?
Forged by Fire Foundation.
Please describe your project proposal.
There is a traffic collision every ten minutes in Los Angeles; these physically, mentally, and emotionally traumatic experiences impact 52,000 survivors and their loved ones every year. SAFE Support provides a support group, practical resources, and important advocacy for these “victims of traffic.” Our experts help survivors heal from injuries, navigate the legal process, manage their daily lives, repair their mental health, and use their experiences to affect meaningful change.
Which of the CONNECT metrics will your proposal impact?
Social & emotional support
Government responsiveness to residents’ needs
Rates of volunteerism
In what areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
County of Los Angeles
City of Los Angeles
Describe in greater detail how your proposal will make LA the best place to CONNECT?
LA is a sprawling city; roads, sidewalks, crosswalks, and pathways link communities together, both literally and figuratively. Unfortunately, these routes are often perilous, limiting Angelenos’ transportation options. SAFE Support will make LA the best place to connect by aiding those who have become victims of traffic, working with hospitals, local law firms, community leaders, public servants, and other civic-minded experts to help them recover. Since these are typically quite traumatic incidents, a major component of SAFE Support will be to provide social and emotional support to those who have been involved in a collision.
Next, these resilient survivors will be given the opportunity to do the same for others, giving their time, effort, and newfound knowledge to help fellow survivors as part of the SAFE Support network. Given that thousands of people in LA are impacted by collisions every year, this program will create a ripple effect, raising rates of volunteerism across communities, affecting exponentially more Angelenos by the day.
Furthermore, SAFE Support will become a driving force for victim advocacy. SAFE has already passed statewide legislation on hit-and-run collisions (with two more bills in progress) and actively works with city officials to author statutes that will make streets safer. In addition to expanding our network of volunteers, SAFE Support will motivate those who were once victims to become agents of change, partnering with our organization to improve government responsiveness to residents’ needs for safe streets, a basic necessity in this county.
Overall, SAFE Support will fill the gaps in the available social and emotional support for traffic victims while sparking volunteerism to assist even more survivors. In addition, our network will collaborate with civic leaders to ensure that local and state governments make broad changes that help all Angelenos walk, bike, drive, and connect safely.
Please explain how you will define and measure success for your project.
We define and measure success for SAFE Support based on two statistics. First, the number of traffic victims who recover such that they can return to their lives, families, and workplaces as productive members of Los Angeles society. Second, the number of advocates for safer streets created as a result of SAFE Support. These could include victims themselves, as well as their friends and family members who support our aims to improve government responsiveness and make meaningful changes to policy.
How can the LA2050 community and other stakeholders help your proposal succeed?
Money
Volunteers
Advisors/board members
Staff
Publicity/awareness
Technical infrastructure (computers etc.)
Community outreach
Network/relationship support
Quality improvement research