Overcoming Transportation Barriers To Work
Overcoming TransportationBarriers:A Path to Self-SufficiencyFinal ReportSeptember 2009
Individualized Training and Technical Assistance for the TANF Program andTribal TANF/Child Welfare Demonstration ProjectsContract No.:233-02-0094Task Order No.:HHSP233200700009TOvercoming Transportation Barriers: A Path to Self-SufficiencyFinal ReportSeptember 2009Submitted to:Department of Health and Human ServicesAdministration for Children and FamiliesOffice of Family Assistance370 L’Enfant Promenade, SWAerospace 5 EastWashington, DC 20447Project Officer:James ButlerSubmitted by:ICF International10530 Rosehaven StreetSuite 400Fairfax, VA 22030Telephone: 703-385-3200Facsimile: 703-385-3206Project Director:Jeanette M. Hercik, Ph.D.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis study, Overcoming Transportation Barriers: A Path to Self-Sufficiency, wascompleted through the Individualized Training and Technical Assistance for the TANF Programand Tribal TANF/Child Welfare Demonstration Projects, by ICF International, under contract tothe United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Administration forChildren and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA). This project would not havebeen possible without the partnership between the Office of Family Assistance, Administrationfor Children and Families Region II, New Jersey Department of Human Services, and ICFInternational.At DHHS, the Federal project officer, Mr. James Butler offered invaluable insight andfeedback that ultimately led to customized surveys designed to assess New Jersey’s needs. Ms.Lisa Washington-Thomas also assisted in providing guidance on this project. Additionally, Ms.Joanne Krudys and Ms. Maysee Yang-Jacobs, ACF Region II, were instrumental due to theirextensive knowledge of the New Jersey TANF program.The New Jersey Department of Human Services was heavily involved throughout thisproject. In particular, Ms. Terry Hirschhorn was involved with this project from its inception andsupported survey development and providing feedback throughout the process. Additionally, thisproject was supported by others from the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Divisionof Family Development including Barbara DeGraaf, Beverly Wellons, Rudy Myers, ReneeIngram, Dorshima Albataew, and Latonia Hagler. We also must acknowledge the State and localNew Jersey staff, who administered the survey and focus groups for their participants and staff.Without their support, this work would not have been possible.1
TABLE OF CONTENTSCHAPTERIBackground .5IIProject Overview .7IIIReview of Past Research on Transportation .9A. Statewide Approaches: In-Depth Analysis .9IVData and Methods .16VSurvey Findings and Analysis .21A. Client Perspectives.21B. Caseworker Perspectives.31VIFocus Group Findings.41VII Promising Practices.47VIII Conclusion and Next Steps .56Appendix A: Tables of ResultsAppendix B: Caseworker SurveyAppendix C: Client SurveyAppendix D: Focus Group ProtocolAppendix E: Matrix of Promising PracticesAppendix F: Focus Group TranscriptsAppendix G: Client and Caseworker Surveys with FrequenciesAppendix H: Caseworker Survey with Frequencies by Caseworker Type2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThe New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Family Development(NJDFD) wanted to explore the prevalence, degree and location of transportation barriers amongtheir Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) participants. This report is intended tosummarize the specific needs of the TANF population in New Jersey from the view of thecaseworkers and participants themselves based on the surveys and focus groups. It is not theintention of the Administration for Children and Families or the researchers to make policy orprogrammatic recommendations to the State of New Jersey. Through the design, development,and administration of customized, tested surveys for participants and staff, as well as the use ofspecialized focus groups with participants, New Jersey learned how and why barriers toemployment and self-sufficiency were exacerbated by a lack of reliable and affordabletransportation. Through an environmental scan of other State surveys from around the country,the Office of Family Assistance, New Jersey Division of Family Development, and ICFInternational jointly developed two surveys to be administered to TANF participants and staff, aswell as a qualitative focus group protocol to ascertain in-depth information on how transportationfunctions as a barrier for New Jersey’s families.Results of the two surveys revealed important information on New Jersey TANFparticipants’ use of existing transportation resources, commuting patterns, persistent transitchallenges to accessing employment, and how these specific barriers impact other services, suchas child care. The surveys also recorded participant and staff perspectives on what additionalstrategies would be beneficial to addressing transportation challenges.According to the surveys, approximately one in three participants in New Jersey reportlosing a job opportunity due to transportation challenges. The majority of participants travel totheir employment or work activity using some form of public transportation, primarily a fixedroute bus service. Seventy-five percent of the client sample had children ages 12 and under. Forthese participants, reliance on public transit becomes more complex when combined with longtravel times to and from home, child care arrangements, and work activities that sometimesrequire non-traditional employment hours. For many respondents, navigation from home to the3
work-site, and to services such as child care, resulted in extremely long commutes that requiredmultiple modes of transportation.The surveys identified a number of issues that can help guide New Jersey stakeholders,caseworkers, and program operators to design transportation assistance services. The surveysalso indicated that an increase in the number of bus routes would help TANF participants reducetheir average commute and allow for more time to be spent at home or at a work activity. Abetter coordination of bus arrival, departure, and transfer time may also help reduce commutetime. In areas where public transportation is less available, participants and staff agree thatassistance with buying a car, as well as supplementing gas costs and auto insurance, would helpmediate many transit challenges. Staff indicated that they would like to offer participants moretraining and education on linking local to mass transit, using different transportation modes, andsupporting participants in learning how to better plan trips on mass transit.The results of the survey and focus group will inform New Jersey of the barriers facingTANF participants so that the State can more effectively address transportation barriers faced bytheir TANF participants. Transportation can often be a key step on the path to job attainment, jobretention, and self-sufficiency. This report represents New Jersey’s efforts and commitment tobetter support its TANF population by taking the first step in identifying transportation barriers.4
CHAPTER I:BACKGROUNDTransportation is a key factor for supportingTANF participants in seeking and retaining gainfulemployment. Transportation for the TANF communityhas become an increasingly high priority as more jobsbecome available in suburban and rural areas. Manyavailable jobs have relocated to the outlying suburbanareas, where public transportation is not alwaysavailable. Jobs in these outlying areas are not viableoptions for TANF participants living in central urbancommunities.Temporary Assistance for Needy FamiliesThe Personal Responsibility and WorkOpportunity Act of 1996 was consideredlandmark legislation- ending welfare as anentitlement program and implementing afederal time limit of 60 months for TANFparticipants. A significant element of theTANF legislation was to afford localities theflexibility to design and implement programsthat best served their families. Armed with thisincreased flexibility in program design andadministration, States and counties across thecountry have experienced dramatic caseloadreductions since the passage of welfarereform.1 The flexibility of the TANF programhas empowered States and communities tosupport families in achieving positiveoutcomes.In addition, TANF participants often live greatdistances from emerging low-skill job opportunities. A majority of recently filled jobs for lessskilled workers are located in the suburbs of metropolitanWhile time spent traveling to and fromthe work site does not count as part ofthe work participation rate hours, theTANF Final Rule States, “we do allow aState to count the time an individualspends in job search and job readinessassistance traveling between multipleinterviews.”areas, while most low-income people reside in centrallocations in urban areas.1 Inner city residents’ ability to accesslow-skill jobs depends heavily on the location of jobs, privatecar ownership, and theavailability of localpublic transit in these areas. As a result, these jobs arenot viable options for TANF participants. Additionally,rural areas also face challenges with less favorableemployment opportunities, low-paying jobs, and limitedaccess to services like public transportation or childcare.Transportation is a relevant issue facing urbanThe Deficit Reduction Act of 2005The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA)specifically refocuses attention on employmentservices and engaging all customers in appropriatework activities. This required that the focus of theTANF program return to improving employmentoutcomes among participants. While theparticipants remaining on TANF caseloadscontinue to need support services to addressbarriers to employment and reaching selfsufficiency,1 the DRA recognizes there areappropriate work assignments for all TANFparticipants. DRA requires States andcommunities to work with local employers,community resources, and the client themselves toidentify and access these opportunities.and rural areas alike. States, under the flexibility of1Katz, Bruce and Katherine Allen. 2001. “Cities Matter: Shifting the Focus of Welfare Reform.” The Brookings Institution, Center on Urban &Metropolitan Policy. Date Accessed: January 30, 2009.5
TANF legislation, are charged with addressing transportation barriers to support work attainmentand retention. Some of the identified challenges include: Lack of public transportation modes to provide individuals with ways to purchase, lease,or borrow vehicles; Transportation to work activities; Managing the funding stream between transit providers and TANF offices; Coordination among transportation providers and local agencies/State; Commuting between child care and work activities; Access to reliable vehicles for automobile distribution programs; and Affordable housing and job site locations in relation to transit service locations.2In light of these challenges and DRA-mandated requirements, State TANF agencies andcommunity providers must develop a strategy and formulate a framework for coordination thatimproves and/or increases mobility options for the TANF population.The remainder of this report is outlined as follows: Chapter II provides an overview ofthis project. Chapter III outlines our review of what other States have done in terms ofconducting needs assessments and surveys on how transportation functions as a barrier for theirTANF populations. Chapter IV gives an overview of the survey methodology and data collectionprocess. Chapters V and VI provide key survey and focus group findings from ourcomprehensive data analysis. Chapter VII offers a brief overview of innovative transportationprograms that States have utilized to promote reliable transportation options to TANFparticipants. Finally, Chapter VII offers concluding remarks and next steps.The Appendices also include detailed information from the project implementation.Appendix A includes frequency tables of the results from the caseworker and client surveys.Appendices B, C, and D include copies of the caseworker survey, client survey, and focus groupprotocol, respectively. Appendix E includes a matrix of promising practices on transportationfrom around the country. Appendix F includes the focus group transcripts received from theState of New Jersey. Finally, Appendix G includes overall frequency tables for each question in2Identified based on conference calls with the Office of Family Assistance and New Jersey Department of Human Services, beginning in March2008.6
the client and caseworker surveys, and Appendix H includes frequency tables for the caseworkersurvey disaggregated by the type of caseworker.7
CHAPTER II:PROJECT OVERVIEWThe New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Family Development(NJDFD) wanted to identify the barriers to transportation and to understand the prevalence andlocation of those barriers among their TANF participants. New Jersey’s geographical diversitywithin urban, rural, and suburban areas creates transportation barriers for TANF participants,particularly those who work non-traditional hours and lack access to a vehicle. Within largeurban cities, such as Newark or Camden, public transportation is available, but in rural andsuburban areas of the State there is limited accessibility to public transit. In many instances,TANF participants are able to use existing transportation services to arrive near to their finaldestination, but lack the transit connection to make “the last link,” and as a result, commutetimes to the workplace or to child care is lengthened.Through the design, development, and administration of customized tested surveys forparticipants and staff, as well as the use of specialized focus groups with participants, NewJersey acquired the knowledge of how and why barriers to employment and self-sufficiency wereexacerbated by a lack of reliable and affordable transportation. This report is intended tosummarize the specific needs of the TANF population in New Jersey from the view of thecaseworkers and participants themselves based on the surveys and focus groups. It is not theintention of ACF or the researchers to make policy or programmatic recommendations to theState of New Jersey.A comprehensive review and environmental scan was conducted to see howtransportation as a barrier to self-sufficiency was being addressed across the country in otherStates and localities. Working closely with NJDFD, two survey instruments and a focus groupprotocol were then designed to be administered by New Jersey staff. Once completed, ICFInternational compiled the surveys and analyzed the results, which are outlined in this report.Figure 1 shows the process of the survey development, administration, and analysis of the resultsfor this project.8
Figure 1: Research ProcessReview ofStateTransportationSurveysSurvey andFocus GroupProtocolDevelopmentPre-TestingSurvey ToolSurveyAdministration(Conducted byNew Jersey)SurveyAnalysisThis report represents New Jersey’s efforts and commitment to better support its TANFpopulation by identifying transportation barriers to work activities. The following chapter willoutline what other States have done around this issue.9
CHAPTER III:REVIEW OF PAST RESEARCH ON TRANSPORTATIONTo guide in the development of customized survey instruments and focus groupprotocols, a comprehensive environmental scan was completed on how States and localities wereaddressing transportation barriers faced by their TANF population. First, promising practiceswere identified, and structured conversations were then conducted with identified programs togather additional information. Through the structured conversations, we were able to ascertainvaluable information on the challenges to program implementation as well as what works best inaddressing transportation barriers among TANF participants. The following chapter provides anoverview of selected Statewide approaches and lessons learned for addressing transportationbarriers based on the review of current practices, research, and structured conversations withStates from around the country.A. Statewide Approaches: In-Depth AnalysisStates have been addressing transportation barriers to employment through a variety ofmechanisms. Often, the first step is recognition that transportation can be a barrier toemployment. The following States were identified through the comprehensive environmentalscan through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Childrenand Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance’s (OFA) Welfare Peer Technical AssistanceNetwork as well as through recommendations by ACF’s Regional Offices.New Jersey has already implemented successful transportation coordination. Forexample, most counties have a transportation coordination plan. Other successful projectsinclude the Essex Night Owl and the Toms River Connection. The Essex Night Owl providesconnections to late night and early morning employment at Newark Liberty International Airportwhen local routes are not operating. The Toms River Connection provides access to jobs andcounty services for low-income workers, transit-dependent individuals, and seasonal employeesin a suburban corridor. Although New Jersey has successful projects, there are still challenges inassisting TANF families with transportation to work.10
Arizona3In June 1998, Arizona conducted a Statewidesurvey to determine transportation needs of TANFparticipants. The survey concluded that transportationwas a barrier for Arizona’s TANF population to obtainand retain employment. The State then contracted withlocal vendors to serve the population. As a condition of the contract, vendors were required toconduct surveys in their local areas to continually assess needs in the community in terms oftransportation. With the information collected from the surveys, the State then contracted withorganizations to provide transportation services to support participants going to work.In addition to the survey, Arizona also looked at how local areas were spendingtransportation service dollars. In order to assess how much money each local area received, theState looked at how much money was allocated to TANF participants. In Arizona, caseworkershave discretion to offer their participants transportation vouchers and refer the participants to atransportation program. Once Arizona assessed how much money each local area was spending,the State allocated funding based on a variety of variables, including how much the local areaswere spending on transportation dollars based on caseworker records, as well as what areas hadthe lowest client participation and availability of job opportunities. Based on this information,Arizona contracted out transportation services in areas that needed the most support.Recognizing that local areas needed more support in terms of addressing transportationbarriers, the State also explored other possible initiatives. Due to the success around the countryof car ownership programs, in
Overcoming Transportation Barriers: A Path to Self-Sufficiency Final Report September 2009 Submitted to: Submitted by: Department of Health and Human Services ICF International Administration for Children and Families 10530 Rosehaven Street Office of Family Assistance Suite 400 370 L’Enfant Promenade, SW Fairfax, VA 22030
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