On June 10, the National Center for Mobility Management continued its partnership with the Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to highlight how community organizations and agencies, such as the LaGrange Housing Authority and Manatee County Area Transit, have addressed the lack of accessible mobility options for vulnerable populations through creative and innovative solutions within their communities.
This webinar, which focused on FTA and HUD region 4, was the second installment in a continuing series that highlights the Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility’s (CCAM) efforts to build partnerships across Federal and State agencies and increase coordination activity.
Featuring Zsa Zsa Heard, Chief Executive Officer, The City of LaGrange Housing Authority, Jocies Edmondson, Transportation Director, The City of LagGrange Housing Authority, and Sabrina Allen, Boys and Girls Club of West Georgia, each speaker highlighted how coordinating mobility options had been a large concern for Troup County and The City of LaGrange Housing Authority (LHA) clients. Without adequate and affordable transportation options, many LHA clients had been missing a variety of appointments, work opportunities, and court-ordered programs that required completion.
To address these challenges, in 2015, WGS worked to develop a partnership with the court system to ensure clients would be able to attend necessary classes, drug screenings, and self-help meetings to relieve stress the lack of transportation options can cause and focus on rehabilitation for clients and building a healthier community. While initially coordinated transportation started as a small endeavor, it quickly grew larger in scale and gave way to a fully functional transportation service that provides numerous trips monthly all-around Troup county. The program’s large success lead WGS transportation to expand and cover a variety of programs and clients, including the after-school program, LogistiCare clients, accountability court clients and the West Georgia Star enrichment program.
Throughout the pandemic, Manatee Area Transit worked to develop a variety of partnerships and community programs aimed at serving vulnerable populations by coordinating essential transportation services.
MCAT Transit Planning Section Manager, Jonathan Roberson, shared how community development, services, and MCAT partnered to ensure Manatee County residents had the mobility options they needed to meet basic needs.
By partnering with the Manatee County Emergency Operations Center, MCAT was able to provide 460 free trips to multiple vaccine sites in early 2021 through their paratransit customer service department. MCAT’s food assistance program worked with local food banks and Manatee County’s Neighborhood Services Department to deliver approximately 1500 meals since March 2020, and the Inclusive Manatee Initiative is a coordinated, multi-year effort by MCAT, Neighborhood Services, and staff from the Redevelopment and Economic Opportunity (REO) to connect Samoset residents to jobs, decrease unemployment by 1.5% and increase household income over three years. Additionally, MCAT developed a Summer Youth Pass program which allows youth 19 years of age and younger unlimited trips From June-August for a flat rate of $25. They also partnered with the Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged (FCTD) and Manatee County Government (MCG) to create the Transportation Disadvantaged Program.
This very engaging and informative session was recorded, and you can access the slides, transcripts and recording here free of charge!
Additionally, reach out to any of NCMMs regional liaisons for any of your technical assistance needs. We are here to help!
Have more mobility news that we should be reading and sharing? Let us know! Reach out to Sage Kashner (kashner@ctaa.org).
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