| ATP Service Improvements - 2024 |
Amount Funded: $8,000.00 |
| Funds secured for program purposes will be expended evenly over a period of 12 months for costs related to upgrading ATP operations, administration, and safety policies and practices, creating and publishing culture sensitive and language appropriate informational and promotional literature, and increasing compensation for the assistant transportation coordinator. The Affordable Transportation Program expects to improve its ability to provide transportation services to immigrants from the Ukraine and South America by providing language assistance, collaborating with local immigrant services, and recruiting a greater number of volunteer drivers. It is anticipated that the program outcomes will provide a higher level of employment, a lowered demand for social services, an improved level of culture and language sensitive services and publications, and a positive benefit of increased health and well-being for low-income persons in the city of Stoughton. |
| The Affordable Transportation Program (ATP) aims improve the ways in which it communicates its services to the Stoughton Community and its immigrant population. ATP provides free or low-cost rides to important destinations in Stoughton and locations within a 40 mile radius of Stoughton for persons living within the Stoughton School District. ATP employs volunteer drivers to provide rides for eligible persons and families free of charge to residents of the Stoughton School District. As Stoughton residents have become more aware of the availability of affordable transportation to locations within Stoughton and near cities and towns, the demand for transportation services has increased. Accompanying the increased demand for transportation services is the need to provide transportation services in a culturally sensitive and language appropriate manner to immigrants who have recently relocated to Stoughton. To adequately provide transportation services to this population, ATP must upgrade and improve its policies and procedures and community the availability of its transportation services and the corresponding guidelines in a manner that is understandable to Stoughton’s immigrant population. This program will upgrade and improve ATP administrative and operations policies, upgrade its safety provisions, and create culture and language sensitive service provision practices and informational literature that is sensitive to and written in languages predominantly spoken in Stoughton (English, Spanish, Russian, Albanian). The ATP assistant transportation coordinator will oversee the creating of an updated, culture and language sensitive policy manual and multi-language informational pamphlets and flyers aimed at improving communications between ATP and its clients and increasing understanding among clients and community residents about ATP service provision availability and guidelines. Volunteer drivers assisted approximately 10 immigrant families with over 30 trips in 2024 to date, driving over 300 miles with about 80 volunteer hours. Important program goals are to provide 100% accident free rides to clients, to improve the quality of communication between ATP and Stoughton’s immigrant population, and to create and distribute culturally competent and language appropriate literature regarding ATP services. |
| Affordable Transportation Program - 2024 |
Amount Funded: $4,000.00 |
| Funds secured for program purposes will be expended evenly over a period of 12 months for payment of liability and workers compensation insurance premiums, purchase of covid sanitation and protection equipment, increased volunteer driver mileage reimbursements and appreciation bonus payments, administrative costs associated with publication of the quarterly newsletter and informational literature, and publication of informational material in English, Spanish, Russian and Albanian languages. The Affordable Transportation Program expects to improve its ability to provide transportation services to immigrants from the Ukraine and South America by providing language assistance, collaborating with local immigrant services, and recruiting a greater number of volunteer drivers. It is anticipated that the program outcomes will provide a higher level of employment, a lowered demand for social services, an improved level of culture and language sensitive services and publications, and a positive benefit of increased health and well-being for low-income persons in the city of Stoughton.
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| The Affordable Transportation Program aims to fill the transportation gap that currently exists because there are no affordable public transportation options available for low-income residents of the Stoughton School District who need transportation within Stoughton, to Madison or to nearby towns and cities. The Affordable Transportation Program provides free or low cost rides to important destinations in Stoughton and within a 40 mile radius of Stoughton for persons living within the Stoughton School District. The Affordable Transportation Program employs volunteer drivers to provide rides for eligible persons and families free of charge to residents of the Stoughton School District. Volunteer drivers provide rides with their own vehicles, which are properly sanitized for disease prevention. All drivers submit to a check of their driving record and background for criminal activity, must have proper automobile insurance coverage, and good medical status. A volunteer coordinator schedules client rides, recruits volunteer drivers, and manages the operations of the Program, assisted by an assistant coordinator. Volunteer drivers are reimbursed for their mileage to and from the destination of the trip and receive a quarterly incentive payment as a means of appreciation for their services. Valid destinations for client transportation requests include: appointments for court, legal, medical, housing, employment and/or job training, food pantry assistance; and other significant related encounters. All clients must meet Affordable Transportation Program eligibility criteria. Individuals are referred to the Affordable Transportation Program by numerous agencies, including: Stoughton Senior Center, START, United Methodist Church Food Pantry, Stoughton Police Dept., Stoughton Hospital, Dane Co. Dept. of Human Services, Personal Essentials Pantry, and local churches. The Affordable Transportation program continues to provide Covid-19 safe transportation for its clients by providing personal protective equipment and sanitation supplies to its drivers and masks for its clients to wear during trips. Volunteer drivers provided more than 400 round trip rides to assist an 77 families or individuals in 2023. Volunteer drivers drove in excess of 11,000 miles with more than 1200 volunteer hours during 2023 to assist clients. As of August 2024, approximately 250 rides have been provided to clients and it is expected that volunteer hours and mileage will be slightly more than i |
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