Families Receive Vehicles from
‘Wheels to Work’ Program
Poughkeepsie… Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro joined the County Department of Community & Family Services (DCFS) and Dutchess County BOCES today to present donated vehicles to six local families from the Community Solutions to Transportation “Wheels to Work” programs.
Started in 2001, the “Wheels to Work” program is designed to help low-income residents get and keep a job, providing them reliable transportation to and from work. Qualified participants must come from a family that receives Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), whose family income is less than 200 percent of the poverty level.
“These cars are more than just a means of transportation for each of these recipients. They each represent an opportunity to start better lives for them and their loved ones,” County Executive Molinaro said. “In addition to being a means of transportation to better jobs, these vehicles will also bring our recipients to and from the grocery store, let them drop off and pick up and their children from extracurricular activities, and improve their lives in many other ways.”
“Wheels to Work” is part of a multi-dimensional approach to help transition residents to work. Other components of that approach include training students, through a relationship with Dutchess County BOCES, among other partners; daycare for eligible families; and the Community Solutions for Transportation (CST) program.
These vehicles will help families obtain and retain employment, acquire jobs with more hours or higher pay, or gain access to higher education to increases the recipients’ wage potential.
The families selected to receive the donated vehicles were chosen based on specific program guidelines, including their work-related need for transportation. In addition, they have all displayed the perseverance and commitment necessary to continually move forward toward financial independence.
“This is not keys to a car. This is keys to the future of you and your family,” Dutchess County Legislature Majority Leader Angela Flesland told today’s recipients. “I congratulate you, and I really wish you the best of luck and success. I can’t wait to say at the next ceremony that you’re no longer receiving assistance, and that you are taking those steps to improve your life and the lives of your families.”
Through the Community Solutions for Transportation program, 286 Dutchess County residents have received their New York State learner’s permit; 963 people participated in driving experience classes; 455 individuals completed the five-hour, pre-licensing class; 426 passed their state road test and received a driver’s license; and 731 vehicles were approved on behalf of program participants since 2001.
For every family that receives a car and avoids temporary assistance, Dutchess County saves $1,614 a month. Within a year, that savings equals the cost of a new car.
“Each of these recipients has worked hard to earn these vehicles, having fulfilled the training and dedicated themselves to improving their families’ lives,” said DCFS Commissioner Sabrina Jaar Marzouka. “We’re confident, with the lessons they’ve learned, these county residents have the tools in place to succeed in our community. We’re grateful to Dutchess County BOCES for partnering with us to bring this vital program to our neighbors who need it.”
Dutchess County Community Solutions for Transportation has provided services to 2,985 families since 2001, providing 810 cars – along with registration and car insurance deposits – to participating families. The program has been very successful, enabling many residents to secure jobs that would have been otherwise unobtainable, and assisting residents maintain or improve their current employment, remaining independent of public assistance.
Among today’s recipients was a single mother of two young daughters who borrows a car from friends and family to work as a medical aide on assignment in Peekskill and will now have the opportunity for more assignments in Hopewell Junction and Brewster with her car.
“We are happy to partner with Dutchess County’s Department of Community & Family Services to make the ‘Wheels to Work’ program a success,” said Dr. Sherre Wesley, Assistant Superintendent for Business Services at Dutchess BOCES. “Thousands of local families have been positively affected by the ‘Wheels to Work’ program, and we’re proud to be a part of that prosperity. It’s a tribute to the hard work of everyone involved that the success stories continue to mount up, and we look forward to more such stories being written today.”
