|
|
|
No More Spinning Their Wheels
Making transportation available to get people
from welfare to work — in the suburbs
|
Business New Haven
10/20/1997
By: Jim Wareck
|
As Connecticut's economic landscape continues to change, more and more employment opportunities are on lands that were traditionally farmed or were vast stretches of suburban open space.
This is not unique to Connecticut. Improved infrastructure and migratory trends have contributed to a national trend of building new manufacturing plants and industrial parks in the suburbs instead of in urban settings. In addition, growth in the service sector and the mall culture has lured shoppers from traditional downtown districts.
One result of this economic transformation has been that those without access to reliable transportation - often society's least privileged - have faced another impediment to securing livable-wage paying jobs that allow them to get a footing on firmer financial ground. Everett Shaw, executive director of the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP), notes that this economic shift also has hurt employers: “Employers are expressing increasing frustration that they can't find qualified employees to fill their vacancies.”
A study by the South Central Council of Governments determined that half the jobs available to lower-skilled and entry-level workers, those that pay $25,000 a year and less, are located outside the urban core.
With Connecticut welfare program limits looming, the RGP has announced that it has secured a $1.5 million appropriation from the General Assembly to fund a “reverse commute” program. It will be administered through the state's Department of Social Services (DSS). The decision to apply for the grant originated from the New Haven Enterprise Community Council which determined that a lack of transportation was a major impediment to those seeking full and part-time employment.
The grant will aid approximately 7,000 welfare recipients, who are facing termination of their benefits, to find a means of transportation to economic centers that can offer employment. In all, 10,000 people receiving public assistance in the 36 towns of the south-central region could take advantage of this program.
The new program, titled the “Regional Growth Connection,” will target the Boston Post Road in Orange and Milford, the Branford industrial parks, the Universal Drive area in North Haven, downtown Branford and Guilford, and the Clinton Crossing Outlet Mall. The new program will expand bus routes and add van service to more remote suburban job points.
John R. Emra Jr., director of governmental affairs for the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, who lobbied for the grant, describes the initiative as a “flexible program that responds to the needs of the clients.” He adds, “As this program evolves we will be better able to determine what measures are necessary and what routes are most heavily traveled.”
The Regional Growth Connection is a two-year pilot program with $750,000 allocated annually. Recognized job providers, such as the Regional Workforce Development Agency, will help coordinate the program at the grass-roots level, informing new job seekers about when and where the new transit routes operate.
|
Go FirstGo PreviousGo
NextGo LastGo
to Index
|
|
