Raising Awareness About Transportation Options in Native American Communities: Insights from USAging’s 2024 Title VI Program Survey

Posted on Oct 04,2024 Comments Off on Raising Awareness About Transportation Options in Native American Communities: Insights from USAging’s 2024 Title VI Program Survey

USAging is the national association representing and supporting the network of Area Agencies on Aging and advocating for Title VI Native American Aging Programs. USAging also partners with Easterseals on the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC), a technical assistance center and program funded by the Federal Transit Administration. Every three years since 2009, USAging has conducted a survey of Title VI Native American Aging Programs and Services, including transportation, which informs transportation providers and advocates who work closely with NADTC.

Results of USAging’s 2024 Title VI survey were recently published in its 2024 Chartbook, along with a webinar on Supporting Elders in Indian Country: New Data and Tools from the Latest Title VI Program Survey. During the webinar, additional insights to the data were provided by USAging board members and representatives of two Title VI programs, Ashley Withrow, the elder program coordinator for the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association in Anchorage, AK, and Leslie Tanoue, director of ALU LIKE in Honolulu, HI.

The survey included responses from 220 Title VI programs across the country of which 73 percent are operated under individual tribes while 16 percent are part of a tribal consortium. Some of the more significant transportation findings follow: 

  • Eighty-nine percent of Title VI programs indicated that medical or non-medical transportation services are available to elders.
  • Seventy percent of respondents said that the transportation services are wholly or partially funded by Title VI.
  • Many Title VI programs cover vast geographic distances, which adds challenges to providing transportation and other services. The longest one-way trip distance travelled ranges from a half mile to 150 miles; average distance for a one-way trip is 35 miles.
  • As shown in Figure 1.7, Title VI programs and/or tribes provide transportation for a variety of activities: 82 percent provide rides for social or cultural events; 75 percent for medical appointments; 72 percent for travel to congregate meal sites; 72 percent take elders shopping or on other errands; and 68 percent provide transportation to vaccination clinics or appointments.
  • One survey respondent explained how transportation under Title VI coordinates with other transportation available to elders: “Our Tribal Transit program and veterans program transports elders with disabilities, and sometimes we partner with them to help provide a service to an elder. On occasion we transport elders when the other program services are not available.”

Table 1.7 shows how tribes rely on a variety of funding sources to provide transportation services, the most common being tribal funds (63 percent) and Title VI (61 percent). Other transportation funding sources include state funds (18 percent); FTA Section 5311 funding (rural) (8 percent); FTA Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities (1 percent) and other sources, such as federal grants, Indian Health Service or tribal transportation (12 percent).

Nearly half of Title VI programs said they do not have enough vehicles and need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle. Another third said they have vehicles in need of repair, and 17 percent said they lack staff to drive or the funds to hire staff.

Another survey respondent nicely summarized how Title VI transportation often operates on tribal land: “Many of the tribal communities have limited access to transportation for various services or resources. This seems to be a primary issue across the board with several of the communities that I work with. If transportation is a possibility, funding for transportation services is heavily limited and has many restrictions. In addition, we have staff members at the tribal level who are maintaining multiple roles and responsibilities, which often interfere with the ability to transport.” 

For more information on transportation as a stand-alone program as well as its impact on other Title VI services such as elder caregivers caring for children and social engagement programs, see the 2024 Chartbook, Supporting Native Elders in Their Communities: Title VI Native American Aging Programs and Services. For technical assistance on Title VI transportation, please contact NADTC at contact@NADTC.org.

This blog was written by David Somers, Senior Research Associate for USAging/NADTC along with Traci Wilson, Director of Research at USAging and Beth Blair, Senior Research Associate at USAging.

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