CHARTING OUR IMPACT

What is the organization aiming to accomplish?

Syracuse New York is #1 in extreme Poverty in the Country.

Our program enables low- resourced Residents to acquire and keep a job where transportation is a barrier. Our limited bus system does not operate at many locations and times when employers operate their shifts.  This means a job candidate can be unable to accept a job unless they have personal transportation.

WE HAVE HELPED OVER 700 SYRACUSE RESIDENTS GET TO WORK.

What are the organization’s Key strategy for making this happen?

We offered a Pilot alternative transportation service, called Rides To Work which assisted 22 people. We will be offering a larger program called Shuttle To Work, which can assist 80 people a day get affordable, reliable transportation to or from work. This will complement CENTRO’s services for workers’ transportation to jobs.   The program will operate much like a vanpool with a professional driver.

  What are the organization’s capabilities for doing this?

Since 2013 we have been the only entity In Central New York to research this national problem that keeps people in poverty and develop a successful Pilot, Ride To Work, to test methods to resolve this problem in Central New York.  We developed transportation experience with two Livery companies transporting people to jobs. We learned the issues involved in neighborhoods, job readiness and employer needs.

With start-up funding, we will expand our ridership using the Shuttle To Work program to 8+ hours per day.  As the need grows, we will add additional vans and hours.

 How will we know if we are making progress?

Our success will be demonstrated by the number of people that acquire jobs at previously unavailable location due to lack of transportation.  We will also measure how long it takes them to be transportation to work independent.

Reduction of unemployment and savings to Social Service subsidies will benefit the local economy.

PROGRAM LONGTERM SUCCESS

Since our founding in 2013, our Nonprofit has been a innovator in identifying ways to help low resourced residents in the City of Syracuse obtain jobs by developing and operating services to transport them to or from jobs when other means are lacking.

There are 6000 job openings and thousands of City residents seeking jobs.  Transportation barriers are often the reason for continued unemployment. Our Pilot demonstrated that with transportation assistance, workers can get and keep jobs and often became transportation independent.

Program Success Examples

Ronald was out of work for 3 years.  He was offered a part time job and he accepted it even though he lacked transportation to get home after midnight. Eventually his part-time job turned into a full -time job but the person he paid $200 per month to bring him home quit. A job development worker suggested he call Providence Services and we signed him up. Two months later he became transportation independent by buying a car. Without our service, he acknowledges he would have never been able to save for the car and he would have lost his job.

Isadore was a refugee resettled in Syracuse. He was looking for a job but not finding any accessible by bus. His agency recommended he and 5 other refugees sign up for our service.  All 6 got a full-time job with benefits but worked 2nd shift ending work at 1 AM.  The next bus comes at 7 AM so without our service he could not accept the job.  All 6 were offered first shift jobs when they became available four months later.

In 2018-2019 we transported 100 people to jobs from the City of Syracuse. We project 2022-23 we will increase the numbers we help and help Residents outside Syracuse as well.

PROGRAM MONITORING

Providence monitors the progress of their riders.  We analyze their previous difficulty to gain employment, how long they use our service and the length of time to become Transportation to Work independent.