Veterans Strategic Transportation Plan Public Outreach Summary The - PDF document

Veteran’s Strategic Transportation Plan Public Outreach Summary The Valley Regional Transit’s (VRT) Executive Board directed staff to develop a strategic transportation plan focused on the needs of veterans in the region. COMPASS is providing technical support for the project. Nampa Mayor Tom Dale agreed to serve as the chair of the Leadership Group which was formed to support the planning process. The project also includes a strategy development workshop that was conducted as part of the Youth Transportation Academy with students from Liberty Charter School in Nampa. The project to date includes demographic analysis, public input through an online survey and a workshop with the Liberty Charter School students. The Leadership Group reviewed the output from the data collection, survey, and strategy development, and has directed staff to reach out to local governments and agencies for feedback on the draft surveys. Ultimately, the strategies will be incorporated into the Valley connect plan and guide future public transportation investments. Demographic Highlights Demographic data was collected from the 2010 American Community Survey at the Census Tract level of geography. The total veteran population in Ada and Canyon Counties is 45, 699. The largest concentrations of veterans reside in the Boise region. Critical veteran destinations (blue star) include the VA Medical center in Downtown Boise, major medical facilities, universities and colleges, and social service agencies. Other essential destinations (red dot) include groceries, banks, child care facilities, clinics, dentists, and job training facilities.

Demographic data indicates that a large number of veterans are living in the more rural areas of Ada and Canyon Counties. These rural areas typically require traveling longer distances to access critical destinations. Fewer transportation options are available in these rural areas. Data also indicates that there are a substantial number of unemployed veterans living in rural areas. These rural areas tend to lack transportation options for job access, which requires many veterans without vehicles to rely on friends and family for transportation to work. Demographic Quick Facts Ada and Canyon Counties (ACS 2010 5 year est)  Total Veteran Population: 45,699  Veterans 65 and Older: 3,126  Unemployed Veterans (estimate): 6,121 (20% of veteran work force) Ada County (ACS 2011)  Total Veterans: 28,242

 Veterans Below Poverty: 27,001 (8% of population)  Veterans Educational Attainment (25 and older): o Less than high school graduate: 5.6% o High School Graduate: 18.1% o Some College or Associates Degree: 39.9% o Bachelors Degree or Higher: 36.3% Canyon County (ACS 2011)  Total Veterans: 13,175  Veterans Below Poverty: 13,138 (12% of population)  Veterans Educational Attainment (25 and older): o Less than high school graduate: 10.4% o High School Graduate: 29.3% o Some College or Associates Degree: 46.3% o Bachelors Degree or Higher: 13.9% Veterans Transportation Survey Valley Regional Transit staff developed a 30-question survey through collaborative efforts from various veterans stakeholder groups. The Survey was developed and posted online using Survey Monkey. The survey ran from August 2, 2012 through September 12, 2012. Who Responded • A total of 111 veterans took the survey • Sixty-eight respondents live in Ada County, 30 live in Canyon County and 13 live outside those two counties • 30 percent of respondents are age 30 or under while almost 1 in 3 are age 50 and older More About the Respondents • More than half (56.4%) do not have a job, while one in four have a full-time job • Almost 6 of 10 (59.1 percent) are attending school or receiving vocational training • Almost 4 of 5 attend Boise State University, 16.7 attend the College of Western Idaho main campus in Nampa and 15 percent attend the CWI Boise campus Sample Responses Do you have a personal vehicle that you use to get to your destinations? Yes: Orange No: Blue

Other Survey Highlights  Many respondents without the ability to drive indicated that they rely on friends and family to get where the need to go.  The most common destinations that need to be traveled to are shopping centers, education/schools, medical/service appointments, and work.  More survey respondents indicated that they would consider taking a bus to/from work over any other alternative mode.

Stakeholder Review of Veteran’s Transportation Strategies With the involvement of students from Liberty Charter, draft Strategies have been developed for the veteran’s transportation project. The strategies are divided into two components: Coordination Strategies and Transportation Strategies. As key stakeholders in the process, this is your opportunity to comment on the effectiveness of these strategies to meet the needs that were identified in the first phase analysis and public input. Coordination Strategies Strategy 1 : Complete the development of the one-call/one-click trip reservation system Strategy 2 : Establish reduced and free fare programs to support veteran access to key destinations Strategy 3 : Establish travel training and travel ambassador system oriented to serving key destinations Strategy 4 : Increase vehicle sharing partners to include human service agencies supporting veterans Strategy 5 : Develop marketing and outreach materials specific to veteran transportation and key destinations Transportation Strategies Strategy 1 : Develop job access transportation services to improve access to job training and employment opportunities Strategy 2 : Develop community bus services into rural areas and connected to key destinations in rural and urban areas Strategy 3 : Expand volunteer driver programs to include afterhours and weekend trips not served by traditional public transportation services Strategy 4 : Expand flex routes (dial-a-ride) in small urban areas to serve key destinations and activities Strategy 5 : Expand fixed-route services in small and large urban areas to serve key destinations and activities Implication (policy and/or financial) The above strategies will provide guidance to staff to proactively incorporate the needs of veterans in the development of coordination programs and transportation services. Budget implications of individual strategies will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis as projects derived from the strategies are developed. Highlights • VRT secured federal funds to develop a one-call/one-click reservation system in collaboration with ITD and CTAI • VRT Executive Board approved the formation of a Leadership Group to assist in developing strategies that will guide future investments and allow VRT to target programs and services to meet the needs of veterans More Information For detailed information contact: Kelli Fairless, Executive Director, (208) 258-2712, kfairless@valleyregionaltransit.org