Improving Self-Sufficiency through Transportation
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Contributor: Rhonda Hannemann, Community Development Program Officer at United Way Fox Cities
United Way Fox Cities collaborates
with other organizations to address critical health and human
service needs in our community. One of our initiatives, developed
with Valley Transit, is The Connector. Since 2007, The
Connector has provided rides to low-income and disadvantaged
individuals and families residing in Outagamie County, northern
Calumet County, and northern Winnebago County who rely on public
transportation, but have had difficulty accessing community
resources within Valley Transit's fixed route bus system.
Outreach efforts to local housing providers indicate that The
Connector is a vital service to their clientele and, indirectly, to
their agency:
Chris Lashock, Client Services Coordinator at the Emergency
Shelter of the Fox Valley, provided the following statement on the
importance of transportation. "It is important that people have the
ability to access reliable and affordable public transportation to
provide them with greater possibilities. The Connector has done
just that for the residents of the Emergency Shelter. On an annual
basis, nearly 150-200 residents residing at the Emergency Shelter
of the Fox Valley rely on The Connector to get to and from their
jobs. All of those clients are working in areas outside the normal
bus routes, or are working different shifts, which prevents them
from accessing the bus. The Connector helps to provide residents
with an opportunity not only to get to and from work, but also
secure employment opportunities that will ultimately help to end
their homeless situation."
United Way Fox Cities and Valley Transit are working to ensure
that The Connector continues to operate and provide rides to
individuals with transportation barriers who want to improve their
employment situation, transition from being homeless or at risk of
being homeless and become more economically self-sufficient and
financially stable. Learn more about The Connector.
