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Transportation » Access to Social Service Delivery Sites

Why It's Important

Lack of transportation is a primary barrier for consumers trying to access needed services. In addition to geographic isolation, seniors from rural areas tend to have other demographic issues that make access to Social Service Delivery Sites more difficult.

See Data By: Richmond MSA | Virginia | National

How Richmond Is Doing

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How Virginia Is Doing

Virginia provides “Virginia Easy Access” for seniors and adults with disabilities and the providers that support them. It is a secure and confidential connection to community resources provided by a public private partnership with the Commonwealth of Virginia, SeniorNavigator, and 2-1-1 Virginia.

(VIRGINIA EASY ACCESS, 2009)

According to AARP Virginia Member Survey 2007:

  • More than nine in ten (91%) indicate that it is important for the state to increase funding for public transportation programs that serve older persons and those with disabilities.
  • More than four in five Virginia AARP members (81%) indicate it is important for Virginia to improve coordination of human services transportation systems.
  • A majority of members (81%) say it is important for Virginia to reduce overlap and eliminate transportation gaps through improved coordination of human services transportation systems.

How the U.S. Is Doing

On the United We Ride Web site, we found a page on Grants for Supportive Services and Senior Centers, which explains the funding of Title III-B of the OAA and its use for accessing senior centers and services.

  • Authorized under Title III-B of the Older Americans Act, funds are awarded by formula to State units on aging for providing supportive services to older persons, including the operation of multipurpose senior centers.

  • It is the responsibility of the State Units on Aging (SUAs) and Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) to concentrate resources to develop and implement comprehensive and coordinated community-based systems of service for older individuals.

  • These services and centers work to maximize the informal support provided to older Americans age 60 and over to enable them to remain in their homes and communities.

  • State units award funds to area agencies on aging, most of whom use a portion of their funding allocations to help meet the transportation needs of older persons. This includes funding to purchase and/or operate vehicles as well as funding for mobility management services.

  • Each State Unit on Aging and Area Agency on Aging is required to develop a multi-year plan that summarizes current priorities and future plans to meet the needs of older adults and their caregivers in their specified geographic area.

(UNITED WE RIDE WEB SITE, 2009)

  

Access to Social Service Delivery Sites is most lacking in rural areas due to geographic isolation. According to Pamela Friedman in her March 2003 paper entitled “Meeting the Challenge of Social Service Delivery in Rural Areas,” state agencies may want to look into the following to help meet the needs of rural families:

  • Promote interagency collaboration and service coordination within and among rural counties.

  • Expand collaboration beyond traditional social welfare programs to include ties with workforce and economic development programs.

  • Target financial support and funding formulas for contractors and sub grantees by factoring in rural area characteristic. For example, develop a distribution formula that takes into consideration square miles covered along with population served.

  • Define program eligibility requirements for rural residents. For example, ease sanction restrictions, modify time limits in areas of high seasonal unemployment, or count part of the commute time as work for recipients with long commutes.

    • Increase the use of electronic benefits transfer to help clients overcome the stigma associated with the receipt of public assistance.

    • Provide specialized training for frontline staff.

    • Use alternative forms of service delivery, such as the Web, the telephone, out stationing, and home visits.

    • Approach social service delivery from a business perspective. Employers may be encouraged to expand or relocate to communities with more comprehensive and cost-effective services.

    • Expand one-stop centers beyond their role in workforce development to serve as points of community access.

    • Standardize assessment tools to determine clients’ multiple needs.

    (WELFARE INFORMATION NETWORK, MEETING THE CHALLENGE

    OF SOCIAL SERVICE DELIVERY IN RURAL AREAS, 2003)

Data & Information Sources

AARP, Virginia Member Survey 2007: Transportation Needs Assessment, January 2008,
http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/general/va_member_07_transport_needs.pd

UnitedWeRide.Gov, 2009
http://www.unitedweride.gov/1_715_ENG_HTML.htm

Virginia Easy Access, 2009
http://www.vaeasyaccess.org/

Welfare Information Network, Friedman, Pamela, Meeting the Challenge of Social Service Deliver in Rural Areas, 2003
http://www.financeproject.org/Publications/meetingthechallengeIN.htm