New option coming for Crestmont, Reverend Butler, Walnut Woods to get to the grocery store
How do people living in Crestmont, Reverend Butler, or Walnut Woods get to the grocery store, especially without a car? These low-income apartment complexes aren’t close to grocery stores. Many of their residents must take two or more buses, not to get to the store closest to their home, but to shop at one convenient for bus travel, said Leon Gordon, administrative director of Bloomington Housing Authority.
It’s a problem Service & Opportunity in Motion, a new shuttle service outfitted with a 15-passenger van, hopes to address.
"The immediate need, that was the emphasis for the program," Gordon said.
The service will become available early next year. The program aims to provide transportation to and from grocery stores and possibly other essential services for people participating in Bloomington Housing Authority and Section 8 housing programs.
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Bloomington Housing Authority is one of three agencies involved in establishing the shuttle, with help from Curry Auto Center. The others are Bloomington Health Foundation, which provided a $100,000 grant for the project and other food programs, and Summit Hill Community Development Corp.
In addition to offering reliable transportation to and from grocery stores, the goal is to help participants use SNAP benefits, or food stamps, in a more efficient way, Gordon said. As the program progresses, Gordon anticipates it might add food delivery to participants.
To help shape the program, a rider registry is being established, with those showing interest asked which days and times they would be most likely to use the shuttle. Gordon anticipates the van will be scheduled to run at least one day a week and one day on the weekend.
"This is a pilot project and we're going to determine the ridership early on," Gordon said. "We have the capacity, the staff and can adjust the frequency if needed."
Gordon plans to hire one full- and one part-time driver to shuttle participants. The two most requested grocery stores are Walmart and Kroger, Gordon said, although he's not opposed to adding other locations. Access will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
"We'll be responsive to the people," he said, adding the service aims to especially aid senior citizens and people with limited mobility. "One of the goals is to help people age in place."
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Gordon said information about the upcoming service is being shared in various newsletters and promoted at Bloomington Housing Authority offices. An advisory group is being formed to help the agencies determine the direction of the pilot project and make the project sustainable.
"It may look a little different at the end of two years," Gordon said. "We're open to getting people to doctor’s appointments, on a case-by-case basis."
For more information, contact Leon Gordon at 812-339-3491 x 115 or email lgordon@blha.net.
Reach Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington Housing Authority to test shuttle for grocery access
