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Wheels Help New Yorkers Achieve Economic Independence
Funds To Help Secure and Maintain Transportation
March 13, 2008 - The State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) has awarded nearly $4 million to 28 organizations across New York State for the Wheels for Work program, to help low-income families secure reliable transportation to get to work and stay employed.
“Getting to work on time, dropping your kids off at day care and being at all the other places a parent needs to be requires some way to get there,” said OTDA Commissioner David A. Hansell. “The Wheels for Work program provides used vehicles and other related services to working New Yorkers, helping them obtain employment or keep a job, giving them and their families a brighter future.”
In addition to providing cars, the Wheels for Work program offers assistance with car repairs, auto insurance, registration and licensing fees, financial counseling, driver’s education, defensive driving courses and car maintenance training. Over the next year, more than 1,500 individuals will be served and nearly 800 will receive a vehicle through this program.
Accessing education and training, affordable child care and better employment opportunities are all key aspects of improving the economic security of New Yorkers, Hansell said. And once they are able to gain a foothold in the workforce, OTDA and other state agencies offer a variety of supports — food stamps, home energy assistance and the Earned Income Tax Credit, among others — that enable working families to successfully move toward a greater degree of self-sufficiency, Hansell said.
The nearly $4 million in funding is being awarded to 28 organizations serving 44 counties.
| Provider | County(s) Served | Award |
|---|---|---|
| ACCORD | Allegany, Cattaraugus | $174,500 |
| Catholic Charities of Livingston County | Livingston | $120,980 |
| Catholic Charities of Schenectady | Schenectady, Albany, Rensselaer | $218,125 |
| Catholic Community Services of Rockland | Rockland | $130,875 |
| Catholic Family Center | Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, Orleans | $261,750 |
| Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agency | Cayuga | $110,833 |
| Child & Family Services of Erie County | Wyoming | $120,000 |
| Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation & Improvement Corporation | Chautauqua | $130,875 |
| Community Action of Greene County | Greene, Columbia | $174,500 |
| Community Action Program for Madison County | Madison | $130,875 |
| Community, Work, and Independence | Washington, Warren | $174,500 |
| Delaware Opportunities | Delaware | $112,000 |
| Dutchess BOCES | Dutchess | $130,875 |
| Education & Assistance Corporation | Suffolk, Nassau | $174,500 |
| Everywoman Opportunity Center, Inc. | Erie, Niagara | $174,500 |
| Family Enrichment Network | Broome | $130,875 |
| Fulmont Community Action Agency | Fulton, Montgomery, Schoharie | $181,851 |
| Genesee Department of Social Services | Genesee | $34,000 |
| Lewis County Opportunities, Inc. | Lewis | $76,203 |
| Onondaga County Department of Social Services | Onondaga | $105,494 |
| Opportunities for Chenango | Chenango | $112,633 |
| Opportunities for Otsego | Otsego | $130,875 |
| Saratoga Economic Opportunity Council, Inc. | Saratoga | $122,762 |
| Seneca County Department of Social Services | Seneca | $66,957 |
| Steuben County Department of Social Services | Steuben, Yates, Chemung, Schuyler | $261,750 |
| Watertown Urban Mission | Jefferson | $130,875 |
| Workforce Development Board of Herkimer, Madison, Oneida | Oneida, Herkimer | $174,500 |
| Workforce Development Board of Sullivan | Sullivan | $130,875 |