Job Access and Reverse Commute (jarc) Program fy 2009 Service Profiles Region X alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington October 2010 fta-08-0162 Job Access and Reverse Commute (jarc) fy 2009 Service Profiles: Region X

Neighborhood House (651)

Job Access Transportation Program (775)

Location: King County (WA)
Type: Trip-Based Services/Vanpool (service only)
Goal: Improved access/connections
Service description: Neighborhood House Operates the Job Access Transportation Program in conjunction with King County, providing demand scheduling for group trips to employment related services. Because of problems maintaining a reliable number of drivers through the Community Jobs program, JARC funding is being used to fund paid drivers to match and support the Community Jobs drivers and maintain continuity of service for the riders needing the trips.
Evaluation: Monthly reports are included in request for reimbursement. The data collected include cost, miles driven, hours in service, number of people served, and number of trips. We also track number of service refusals due to lack of driving staff.
Accomplishments: During the grant period we were able to increase service without having to turn down trips due to lack of drivers. At the end of the grant period, we were able to place eligible funded drivers in paid positions within the County.
Lessons learned: The only down side we experienced was loss of the funding at the end of the grant period due to internal confusion about the proposal process.

Okanogan County Transportation and Nutrition (652)

Employment Options (703)

Location: Okanogan County (WA)
Type: Trip-Based Services/Shuttle/feeder services
Goal: Improved access/connections
Service description: This service connects the outer regions of Okanogan County to the central city of the county where employment training and opportunities, educational opportunities, social services, and the majority of jobs are located. Okanogan County is very rural, geographically large (the size of the state of Connecticut), with a population of 39,800, only 7.6 persons per square mile. This service has two routes. The Oroville/Omak route connects the northern part of the county, five miles from the Canadian border, to the largest city (Omak, population of 4,700) located mid-county. This route covers 42 miles one way and makes stops in several smaller communities along the way. This route provides three round trips per day.
The second route connects the southern part of the county, the Bridgeport/Brewster area, with Omak and covers 45 miles one way. This route also makes stops in smaller communities along the way and provides two round trips per day.
These two routes provide affordable transportation to our population that either cannot afford fuel for these long commutes, do not own personal vehicles, for one reason or another do not have drivers licenses, or just prefer to let someone else drive. Our county is located in the high desert of eastern Washington where the temperatures are extreme, both summer and winter. Driving conditions can be treacherous during the winter months and during the summer months it is extremely hot.
Our financial partners in this service are DSHS who provide the job training and employment opportunities for clients and Okanogan Behavioral HealthCare who provide counseling and treatment for clients who need these services prior to entering the work force.