Explanation
BACKGROUND:
This ordinance authorizes the Director of Development to execute a grant agreement with IMPACT Community Action, in an amount up to $65,000.00, for its “Emergency Car Repair” program.
In the 2017 IMPACT Community Needs Assessment, transportation was identified as a key barrier to employment by individuals completing the survey. Eighty-two percent of survey respondents identified insufficient access to transportation as a barrier, 91 percent identified lack of transportation as a condition of poverty, and 79 percent identified transportation vouchers as a much needed resource. Further, in a study conducted by the University of Harvard, and published April, 2015, commuting time has emerged as the single strongest factor in the odds of escaping poverty. Nathaniel Hendren, a Harvard economist researcher summed up the issue stating that “the longer an average commute in a given county, the worse the chances of low income families there moving up the ladder.” According to a 2012 study Travel and Poverty, a reliable means of transportation offers access to greater opportunities such as access to lower-cost, healthier foods, increased employment opportunities, wider education options, healthcare and friends, which affect the quality of life. Considering these factors and the importance of transportation to securing or maintaining employment; IMPACT Community Action has developed programming to enable program participants to increase their mobility options by saving funds to purchase a vehicle.
The Emergency Assistance department at IMPACT has implemented a transportation repair program which will provide customers with emergency repair assistance. A co-pay of $50.00 towards the cost of the repairs will be supplied by the customer. Customers must obtain quotes from licensed, certified repair companies or work with an agency approved repair partner.
These services provided by IMPACT Community Action cannot be provided by existing city employe...
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