The Patriot Transportation Initiative (PTI)

Reliable transportation is critical to not only housing stability, but also connecting formerly homeless Veterans to steady work, healthcare, support services, and other fundamental needs that promote upward mobility and a successful civilian life. The lack of a pragmatic transportation solution for homeless Veterans remains a major void that leads to a multitude of adverse consequences:

• Veterans unable to afford thebus or simply unmotivated, due to the exorbitant time and energy required, fall off the path out of poverty;
• Social Workers too often wind up driving Veterans, depriving their clients from other more important care;
•  A Veteran’s time and limited discretionary income is misspent on travel instead of food or clothing

Veterans rely on a) public transit (inconvenient, untimely, and unsuitable for Veterans who live with physical limitations, PTSD or other mental health conditions), b) fixed-route shuttle programs (if eligible), or c) basic means such as cycling or simply walking.

SG has partnered with OneCall and its RelayRIDE system, which combines scheduling, monitoring and communication services together with the network of drivers, to provide underserved Veterans independent transportation solutions.

Piloted July 8th, 2019, “Phase I” set out to demonstrate how providing Case Mangers with an easy to use, flexible, ride-sharing transportation alternative can lead to substantial improvements in the effectiveness, efficiency and quality of Veteran programs and services.PTI takes a pragmatic approach to Veteran transportation, focusing on how to better provide Case Managers with more decision-making authority and autonomy through eliminating impractical barriers.

PTI’s Recipe For Transportation Success

1. Remove eligibility barriers – PTI’s only “criteria” is the rider must be ambulatory (or accompanied by a Caregiver) and the ride must be non-emergent and within predetermined mileage constraints. That’s it!

2. Remove time-sensitive request requirements – rides can be scheduled “on-demand” or “future scheduled” from most web browsers (SaaS platform).

3. Broaden location constraints— PTI supports realistic Veteran transportation needs to-and-from:

– VA Medical, Intake & Admin Centers, as well as City Services;
– Job Interviews, Career Fairs & Beginning Employment;
– Classes, Libraries & other Educational Institutions;
– Superstores for Food, Clothing and other Necessities.

Proven Transportation Success!!!

In less than six months, The Patriot Transportation Initiative demonstrated how armed with a flexible and realistic transportation alternative, public and private Veteran Services Organizations are better able to coordinate services, focus on delivering the best level of specialty care to their clients.

Veterans typically unable to access or qualify for VA & VSO programs or that possess a medical condition preventing them from using mass transit, or those who simply just can’t afford reliable transportation, now have a pragmatic transportation solution.