New Mobile Units Unveiled: Taking Human Services to the Parish, Increasing Access to Vital Resources

Baton Rouge, LA - November 7, 2024 - The East Baton Rouge Division of Human Development and Services (DHDS) and Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome today unveiled mobile units that for the first time will allow services and resources to be driven directly to communities parishwide where access is often difficult.

"Human services centers are located in the heart of the city of Baton Rouge, but we have parts of our parish where some citizens are unable to easily access services or who may not even know what services exist to help them," Vernadine Mabry, Director of DHDS, said. "Now we can bring these services right to their neighborhoods."

Mabry and Mayor-President Broome demonstrated the capabilities of these two new vans, outfitted to bring services directly to people, at the unveiling today in the Gardere Hartley-Vey Park, one of the neighborhoods in need of resources and with a large population of non-English speakers.

Mayor Broome said, "We are so proud to see this initiative become reality. These mobile units will enable people to sign up for public services like rental and utilities assistance and so much more so that we can truly help the most vulnerable in our parish right where they live."

These two new mobile units, some of the first of their kind in the state, will expand access, not only to assistance in paying rent or utilities, but also services like Head Start registration, pro bono legal services, Employ BR assistance in finding and applying for jobs - providing interpreters in many cases, where needed.

The units are equipped with generators, wifi, and stations for case workers, as well as spaces that afford privacy for discussions of individual needs. The services on the vans can be customized with personnel able to address needs specific to certain areas.

"Depending on the specific needs of each area, the department will be able to engage other City-Parish departments and community partners to join outreach efforts to assist with connecting people to needed resources," Mabry said.

The mobile units will help encourage donations for specific neighborhoods, by providing ready-to-go distribution of supplies like diapers, food, uniforms, shoes, and other items. They can also be scheduled for special events throughout the parish.

The DHDS mobile units will offer their first service visits in Baker and in the Gardere, Broadmoor, and Sherwood neighborhoods.

"Leading the way in our state, we believe that these vans will allow EBR Parish to attract more grant funding opportunities in the future with our ability to now respond more quickly and reach areas of our parish we have been unable to physically reach before. We will also use them to aid in responding to natural disasters or other emergency incidents," Mayor Broome said. "Their use will unlock real potential for improving public service in our city and parish."