3.1.7 Head Start
Head Start is a federal program designed to increase the social competence of children of low income families and children with disabilities. The program targets children from birth to age five, pregnant mothers, and families. There were over 3,300 pre-school children and their families enrolled in Head Start programs in North Dakota in 2003.31
Federal Head Start monies flow directly from the federal government to local grantees. There are 14 grantees in North Dakota. These 14 grantees operate 71 Head Start centers in 59 communities around the state, Figure 3.4.
Figure 3.4 North Dakota Head Start Centers32
Grantee organizations include a variety of entities including private non-profit organizations, tribal governments, a public school district, and a state university. The Department of Human Services serves as a coordinator/collaborator to provide training, help local sites comply with federal and state program guidelines, etc. Federal funds cover 80 percent of program costs.33
More than 857,000 children were involved with the national Head Start program in the year 2000.34 By contrast, North Dakota has only 3,322 being served by Head Start.35 More than 500,000 of these youth were transported to Head Start programs using 11,000 vehicles owned and operated by Head Start grantees nationwide.
Because Head Start grantees receive funding directly from the federal Department of Health and Human Services, the North Dakota Department of Human Services does not have an inventory of the number of vehicles operated by the 71 Head Start centers in North Dakota. These grantees have been surveyed as a part of this study but related responses have not been received. Related services are, however, typically provided independently from other area transportation providers.36
3.1.8 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
TANF is a federal block grant program which provides states with money to operate state-directed social welfare programs. Among other things, TANF monies may be used to provide transportation assistance to help program participants gain access to places of employment or related training.
TANF funds are not used to directly subsidize transit system operations. Rather, TANF monies are typically paid to program participants to cover related costs. The national Center on Budget and Policy Priorities indicates that about two percent of the federal TANF budget is used to facilitate participant transportation.37
North Dakota's TANF program is administered by the North Dakota Department of Human Services. During the 12 month period which ended June 30, 2004, the department estimates that approximately $1,261,534 million was expended to reimburse program participants for transportation-related expenses. In urban areas these costs might involve city bus tickets while in more rural areas they might involve fuel costs for personal vehicles.38
North Dakota has also used TANF funds to support U.S. Department of Transportation Jobs Access & Reverse Commute programs (this federal program will be discussed below). Using TANF funds to augment this program can reduce the local cost of related services to zero. As is indicated below, however, this program has been relatively small in North Dakota.
3.1.9 Veterans Benefits
The federal Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates a fleet of passenger vans in North Dakota that provides eligible veterans with free transportation to veteran medical centers for medical services. North Dakota's only VA medical center is located in Fargo. Some veterans in western North Dakota do, however, receive services from a VA center located in Miles City, Mont. There are also three satellite clinics in North Dakota located in Bismarck, Grafton, and Minot.
The VA operates a fleet of ten vehicles based in Fargo, Lidgerwood, Jamestown, Bismarck (2), Dickinson, Cavalier, Minot, Stanley, and Williston. The Dickinson-and Williston-based vehicles cover their communities and points west enroute to the VA center in Miles City. The other vehicles serve their immediate area and intermediate points enroute to Fargo. Each van has designated pick-up and drop-off points. Riders must find their own means of transportation to and from these points.
VA vans are typically purchased with donations from businesses, local service organizations, or veterans groups or by the North Dakota Department of Human Services with proceeds from the Veterans of North Dakota Trust Fund. The vehicles are then turned over to the VA, which is responsible for their operation and related costs. These vehicles are not equipped with special accessibility features such as lifts or ramps and are operated by volunteer drivers.
The vans in Bismarck, Stanley, and Cavalier operate on a weekly basis while the others are all on an "as needed" basis. Except for the van that is based in Stanley, all the vans make the round trip to Fargo and back in one day; the trip from Stanley to Fargo and back requires two days. The vans that travel to Fargo carry an average of about 200 passengers per month.
For routing purposes, the Cavalier van, for example, leaves Cavalier and stops at other designated points (e.g. Grafton and Grand Forks) on the way to Fargo. A Bismarck van will stop at designated points along Interstate 94 (e.g. Jamestown and Valley City) on the way to Fargo. The Jamestown van will run only if the Bismarck van is full. The Minot van is used primarily for trips to the Minot Air Force Base. Minot veterans who need a ride to Fargo use the Stanley-based van.
In addition to these van transportation services, the VA also provides commercial bus transportation and mileage reimbursement for low income veterans. Assistance is also available to help equip disabled veterans' personal vehicles with special accessibility and operating equipment.39
3.1.10 Jobs Access & Reverse Commute
The federal highway "TEA-21" program provides the Federal Transit Administration with funding, ". . . to develop transportation services designed to transport welfare recipients and low-income individuals to and from jobs and to develop transportation services for residents of urban centers and rural and suburban areas to suburban employment opportunities." Program funds are administered by the FTA and are available for both capital and operating purposes. Sixty percent of the program's $85 million budget is designated for urban areas with a population of more than 200,000; 20 percent is for urban areas of less that 200,000 and 20 percent is for nonurbanized areas. The Federal/local share is 50/50.40
In 2001 North Dakota received approximately $79,000 in program funds to purchase a vehicle and provide related transportation services on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in Sioux County. Subsequent year's funding was denied and related services reportedly ceased.
The Fargo-Moorhead Council of Governments received a 2004 grant for $98,000 to coordinate transportation services in the Fargo-Moorhead urban area and to work with area employers concerning the mobility needs of their low-income employees.
No other areas in North Dakota are currently participating in this program. Job Service North Dakota does, however, utilize the federal Workforce Investment Act to help meet the employment-related transportation needs of dislocated workers and low-income individuals. Program funds are used to help eligible individuals with job preparedness, job search, and training activities. Transportation assistance includes, among other things, funds for car repairs and public transit. During the twelve month period ending June 30, 2003, 2,928 individuals from all across the state were served by this program. Transportation-related assistance expenditures during this time period totaled $30,723.41
3.1.11 No Child Left Behind
The federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) signed into law in January 2002 represented a sweeping overhaul of the nation's elementary and secondary education systems.
According to the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, NCLB funds may be used to provide transportation services. Corresponding decisions would be made at the local level but they would be a part of plans that would be submitted for state review.
If NCLB funding was used to support transportation services, it would probably be used to transport students within a district, or even between districts, to gain access to eligible programs or services that are not immediately available in the school where the needy student is enrolled. NCLB funds could also be used for professional development purposes to transport instructors to training programs or to bring presenters to local offerings.
At the present time, no significant NCLB monies are being spent on transportation-related services in North Dakota.42
3.1.12 Older Americans Act
As indicated in the preceding subsection on dial-a-ride/paratransit services, 13 of North Dakota's dial-a-ride/paratransit services receive Older Americans Act Title III operating support in a program administered by the North Dakota Department of Human Services. Fiscal year 2003 funding totaled $262,000. Each of these operations also received Federal Transit Administration operating support via the North Dakota Department of Transportation. These Title III monies are used to support transportation services that provide eligible riders with access to community facilities, activities, and services.
3.1.13 Vocational Rehabilitation
North Dakota's vocational rehabilitation program is administered by the North Dakota Department of Human Services. The program assists people with disabilities achieve independence and employment by providing of rehabilitation services. Eligibility is determined by VR counselors located in North Dakota eight human service centers (Bismarck, Devils Lake, Dickinson, Fargo, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Minot, and Williston). Program monies, 80 percent of which are federal, may be used to help program participants travel to and from related services.
During the federal fiscal year which ended Sept. 30, 2003, $120,775 was expended in North Dakota to pay for transportation-related costs incurred to help program clients get to and from needed rehabilitation services. These payments were made on a client-by-client basis and did not go directly to existing transit operations. Typically incurred costs include the cost of bus tickets, travel reimbursement to family members who provide transportation, monthly gas cards for client-owned vehicles, etc.
Actual transportation-related program expenditures may vary greatly from one year to the next, depending on the needs of clients who are currently receiving vocational rehabilitation services.43
3.1.14 Job Corps
Job Corps is an education and vocational training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The program is free to low-income students age 16-24 and helps them complete their high school education, learn a trade, and find employment. There are 118 Job Corps sites nation-wide operated by private contractors under agreements with the DOL. The program graduates approximately 70,000 students per year. Post-graduate assistance is provided for up to 12 months to help students with their job search, transportation, housing, health care, and other necessities.44
North Dakota's only Job Corps campus is in Minot. The center has the capacity to house and educate 250 students and typically runs at or near capacity. Each student's program is tailored to his or her needs and starts whenever the student arrives on campus. Programs typically entail on-site stays of 8-12 months.
Job Corps has four local service centers in North Dakota. These centers are located in Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, and Minot. Each center serves its quadrant of the state and transports potential enrollees to Minot in U.S. government vehicles for campus visits prior to enrollment.
Once a student is enrolled, Job Corps will provide transportation assistance to help eligible students return home for monthly visits. Transportation via Job Corps vehicles will not be provided unless it involves at least three students. Transportation may also be provided by commercial bus and Amtrak.
Job Corps' fleet of vehicles is also used to provide local travel for purposes such as trips to job sites, recreation, miscellaneous appointments, etc. Job Corps has a fleet of 18 vehicles in North Dakota which includes passenger cars, mini-vans, full size vans, and 44 passenger buses.45
Job Corps will also help graduates access post-graduation jobs via commercial modes of transportation. Commuting to and from these jobs, however, becomes the responsibility of each individual.