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Lorain County Community Action launches Via LC voucher pilot to help low-income residents reach services
Summary
At the public comment period, Bobby Taylor of the Lorain County Community Action Agency described a new voucher pilot that provides prepaid ride vouchers for Via LC on-demand transit to help low-income residents access critical services and appointments.
During public comment at the April 22 commissioners meeting, Bobby Taylor, director of planning and grantsmanship at Lorain County Community Action Agency, described a mini-grant–funded pilot that distributes prepaid vouchers for the Via LC on-demand transit service to low-income residents.
Taylor said the vouchers are intended to remove transportation barriers that prevent residents from attending appointments for energy assistance, Head Start enrollment, produce-center distributions and other essential services. The vouchers are funded by a mini grant from the Lakeland Community Fund facilitated by the Community Foundation of Lorain County and enable residents to use Via LC’s existing on-demand transit service without creating new transport infrastructure.
Taylor told the board that the agency is tracking usage and service completion rates; early figures cited 10,000 rides in the first two months of Via LC operations and a marked increase in appointment completion where transportation barriers are removed. Vouchers can be picked up at the Lorain County Community Action Agency office at 936 Broadway on Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 8–11 a.m. and 1–3 p.m., and residents need a valid photo ID to receive one.
Taylor said the pilot intends to demonstrate demand and hoped the county and other funders would consider budget or legislative support for sustaining the approach if the pilot exhausts its initial funding.
Ending: The commissioners expressed support for the program and encouraged outreach to legislators and local partners to identify longer-term funding if the pilot shows strong results.
