Headwaters Regional Development Commission
Report date
March 2019
What has been most instrumental to your progress?
One significant activity for this project involved recruiting a strong and passionate Transportation Task Force in all 5 counties. These members brought specific expertise and varying perspectives that helped uncover transportation barriers. Additionally, the task force members brought leadership and a voice to their county’s populations, which consisted of seniors, people with disabilities, children, and low income families. Task force members participated in 5 meetings thus far and succeeded in shaping a regional perspective of transportation, which can simultaneously speak to a local process that works to improve transportation options for individuals in each community. Although there are alternative transportation options within the region, HRDC recognized that the strategies identified at the regional level have been limited because coordination activities primarily need to be undertaken at the local level. With high interest and power of alignment, HRDC has shown their commitment to bring staff leadership to each task force as a means to create viable actions to address high priorities and needs around access to transportation.
One obstacle for transportation centers around the cost to implement new mobility options. Through task force meetings, we witnessed the importance of different groups working on a problem together, as opposed to focusing on creating something new. Coordination between existing entities such as transportation providers, services agents, and the private sector allows us to fill transportation gaps, streamline access, and provide individuals more travel options. In turn, during phase one, a current inventory report of existing transportation resources within each county was created and system gaps were uncovered. To complete this, HRDC contracted with Community Resource Connections (CRC) to compile and analyze information. Moreover, HRDC applied and received funding for a Regional Transportation Coordination Council (RTCC) that started in July 2018, which works alongside the BUSH grant by building upon and leveraging the relationships developed in the beginning stages. The outlook is to create new partnerships, but also connect with organizations and community leaders that will lend capacity and program development support for improving transportation processes for all residents.
Along with regular task force meetings, HRDC incorporated community-based workshop events, which were open to the public and allowed for open forum discussion from task force members and public transit users. Each county hosted a three-hour workshop that encompassed transportation inventory review, pilot program brainstorming, and community engagement. The results of the event varied but entailed some commonality as well. For example, across the board, each county expressed the importance of a knowledge based resource guide that informed the public on existing transportation options. On the other hand, some counties expressed the need for ride-share programs, increased volunteer drivers, apprentice programs for future transportation employees, and a grocery delivery program. These workshops were successful because they forced transit providers and transit users to share their experiences yet find solutions that meet the needs of both parties. In addition, this experience opened the door for community members to have a voice heard and propelled progress because task force members were supplied enough information to begin organizing pilot programs and making solid decisions.
Key lessons learned
One key lesson within our first year, working with all 5 task forces, was making sure we invited and captured the voices of transit users and those who lack transportation. Part of our goal was to create a safe place to connect and talk about approaches and opportunities for those who already use current transportation systems. However, after our first few meetings, it was apparent that many of the vulnerable groups were not able to attend the meetings. This was often due to transportation availability, time restraints, and opportunity costs. We needed an alternative approach by focusing on meeting those groups on their time, so they could share views on transportation needs. As a result, we have started to utilize task force members who work with vulnerable populations in hopes of connecting with those individuals, as a means of bringing the meeting to them. Furthermore, stipends have been and will continue to be provided to those participants who would like to attend meetings and for organizations we connect with clients about transportation. This lesson learned moved us to adjust our approach to allow for those undeserved communities to be at the table.
Our task force members, along with the inventory results from Community Resource Connections (CRC), have all found a need for improving public communication about transportation opportunities. To our surprise, there are more transportation options available in our 5 communities than what is known to most residents, as well as organizations who are in need to provide transportation options. This lack of knowledge has created a major barrier that could be addressed by better communication between organizations and transit providers. Subsequently, there are many misconceptions about the different options out there for transportation and not many avenues for counties to relay the information. Through task force meetings, we have found that in order to bring about change, you have to understand what the existing conditions are currently for transportation. In our current process, we are working to find creative ways to educate the public, organizations, and transit providers on transportation options but also on ways to keep information up-to-date and accessible for all community members.
Reflections on inclusive, collaborative or resourceful problem-solving
Out of the three elements of the community innovation process, collaboration has been most important in making progress in the work to improve transportation opportunities for the most vulnerable groups within our communities. Having regular task force meetings has allowed for open communication among counties and kept the door open for members to provide better context of what’s actually available within their communities. Additionally, we also get a sense of how a potential pilot program could work as well as how it could hit roadblocks, all the while giving the task force the chance to find another solution. The outlook for multiple meetings is to ensure there’s a place to communicate lack of adequate access but also to have the room to collaborate across multiple platforms. Our partnership with CRC helped us fully understand existing resources, the gaps and barriers that are present, and opportunities to coordinate resources to better meet the needs of vulnerable people in the region. While our collaboration with a group in Park Rapids spurred the planning of a community bus for medical transport and motivated residents to take a stake in transportation conversations.
Other key elements of Community Innovation
One key element that we have seen move innovation forward is staying open to the process and resisting the need to have it be or look a certain way. Emphasizing new and creative opportunities to improve transportation for the most vulnerable groups within each task force needs to be flexible. For example, during the start of the Bush grant, HRDC was able to secure funding for a Phase 1 Regional Transportation Coordination Council (RTCC), a program offered by Minnesota Department of Transportation, to coordinate transportation services through a network of existing public private, and nonprofit transportation services providers. Due to this additional funding source, some members from the Bush Transportation Task Force are also on the RTCC, which may not have been in the initial plan but helps bring a higher level of expertise to the overall transportation work. Furthermore, MnDOT started an Equity Study to better understand transportation throughout Minnesota, which began within the Northwest Minnesota Region and coincided during the startup of the Bush grant. While transportation equity wasn’t specifically in our plan, it was a great way to bring the idea to the task forces.
Understanding the problem
Within the first half of our project, each task force has been able to clearly define what gaps and barriers exist but also what innovative programs are needed to improve transportation access. Although, we also found clarity through the inventory work done by CRC because once we knew what services existed, our task force members could better understand and triage where resources should be allocated. Programs like ride-sharing, volunteer drivers, and a One Call One Click hub are just some of the innovative ideas that task force members identified. In addition, the use of collaboration among different service providers gave us the chance to enhance transportation and not replace what currently is working. Moreover, by changing our approach to meeting with vulnerable populations, we gained invaluable insight into the barriers those individuals face and helped us focus on each problem separately, as opposed to finding a one size fits all. Our work has been a multifaceted process and the combination of approaches come together to give us a more accurate look at transportation needs.
If you could do it all over again...
HRDC created a process that invited those who are in need of transportation to sit on the task force, as a contributing member, and play an important role in the planning process. This was a “boots-on-the-ground” type of perspective. Although our intentions were only to serve and to hear from a broad range of individuals, those who lacked adequate transportation options were more than likely not able to show up due to the complications of scheduling a ride. We found this out early on, when arranging our first couple of task force meetings, and worked closely with service providers to remedy the situation. Since that time, we have now been in conversation with organizations throughout our region to find alternative ways to reach those vulnerable populations, so we can learn from those individuals, directly, on their time. This would have been important to know prior to setting up initial meetings because the earlier we get baseline data, the better prepared our task force members would have been. Out task force members are looking at transportation needs from one side of the glass and the view of those using the service, who are also undeserved, provide a window to the other side.
One last thought
Within the scope of our work, it’s important to address the interrelationship between the Bush grant and the other transportation work HRDC has pursued since receiving the Bush grant. The support has made it possible for HRDC to develop and build relationships within individual counties allowing us the chance to be innovative through the creation of a Regional Transportation Coordination Council (RTCC). The purpose of the RTCC is to create an organizational structure that will support coordination of a transportation network. The financial support and encouragement through Bush has allowed us to pursue local conversation within individual county task forces, on a local level, but also approach these issues on a regional plane. The Bush grant works hand in hand with the RTCC but also has provided the groundwork by uncovering the needs and providing an inventory of services. Most importantly, the local task forces have fostered relationships and given us a leg-up to connect on a micro level. In other words, we have been able to find more effective ways to gather information about our community’s transportation needs are and to coordinate transportation for the most vulnerable groups.