County Funds Transportation for Seniors, But Free Fares Slow to Reach Milan

EDITOR’S NOTE:  This article is part of a series looking at impacts of being a border city.

Three providers now cover transportation for Milan residents 60-plus—or at least those who reside in Washtenaw County.

However, rides from the primary provider of senior transportation in Milan are not free and services are still limited.

Millage Funding

In September, Jewish Family Services (JFS), Western Washtenaw Area Value Express (WAVE) and People’s Express each won $333,333 contracts from the Older Persons Services Millage to provide free transportation to seniors 60-plus who live in Washtenaw County. Jewish Family Services and People’s Express both serve areas that include Milan. WAVE provides coverage in Western Washtenaw County.

Milan Seniors for Healthy Living declined to apply for the first round of funding, but is considering applying for the next round. Current county funding only runs through March 31.

As a result, Milan Seniors will continue to charge $2 each way in town or $1.50 per mile out of town. They offer services Monday through Thursdays 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Executive Director Mary Ann Opal said she welcomes more options in Milan.

“They can do evenings and weekends which we don’t do,” Opal said. “If theirs is free that’s a bonus. I’m not in competition as far as transportation is concerned, if there is someone who can do it better or more efficiently than us.”

Demand

JFS, and People’s Express, say they are amping up coverage. Those 60-plus could start requesting free rides in Washtenaw County starting in September, but resources to cover Milan are limited.

Andre Yatschenko, Jewish Family Services transportation director, said in the first month they saw quite an increase in the number of trips, particularly in their primary coverage area, which includes Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.

Executive director of WAVE Marie Gress said they were able to use the money to purchase two gently used vehicles to add a door-to-door route for older adults in Western Washtenaw County that started in October. They gave 585 door-to-door rides from Sept. 15-30 and had to turn away 71. With the added route they were able to offer 1,128 rides in October and only had to decline 30 requests.

“Older adults receiving free rides are incredibly grateful and many expressed relief,” Gress said. “Not only is financial access to transportation greatly improved, but older riders are happy to see their tax dollars helping them in the Western rural part of the county.”

Conversations

Eveliina Taylor, interim managing director of People’s Express, believes the funding through the aging person’s millage has increased Washtenaw countywide communication about transportation. She’s reaching out to senior center directors, social workers, and elected officials to best understand how People’s Express can support their communities. Earlier in November, she was on a call with U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., State Rep. Jason Morgan, D-Mich. and other Washtenaw County leaders, discussing transportation needs, especially for underserved areas.

“Good things, conversations are happening,” she said.

Milan

Milan is currently the only city in Washtenaw County without public transportation for most residents, a subject which has come up frequently in Milan’s City Council meetings the last year as they’ve worked on their master plan.

Meeting Milan’s transportation needs can be challenging, said Taylor, because it is a city divided by two counties. Through the millage-based funding they would only be providing transportation to those 60-plus who live in the Washtenaw County part of Milan. However, she said that People’s Express as a nonprofit has navigated intercounty agreements and would be able to help Milan if leaders were interested in expanding transportation.

Two millages

Both Monroe and Washtenaw County residents pay into separate county millages for seniors. Milan Seniors for Healthy Living sometimes feels like two separate entities to run, Opal said.

“Not just with these two millages but we do this with many of our grants,” she said. “If we were 10 percent in one county and 90 in another it probably wouldn’t matter, but we’re pretty close to half and half, a little more in Washtenaw. It’s a lot of work. Being on a county line is sometimes a detriment.”

Currently, money from the Monroe County millage does help fund Monroe County transportation through Milan Seniors for Healthy Living. The center just received $128,000 from the Washtenaw County millage and Opal said the board could choose to use that money for transportation.

Director

Opal said they have been told to expect changes with the Director of Aging Services Shannon Effler who was announced at the Nov. 19 commission meeting.

It’s expected the county will continue funding senior transportation through the millage, Taylor said. It’s also possible funding will run out sooner than March and agencies will have to ask for more to ensure continuity of services. Gress expects WAVE will use up its funding by February.

Investment

Transportation is an important investment from the county, said Sarah Schneider Hong, Chief Program Officer for Jewish Family Services.

“We write grants feverishly and look for sources of support,” Hong said. “We look to donors in our community who believe that providing a ride to someone to obtain food in the grocery store, or a medical visit is a worthy, important human service. We subsidize all of those rides.”

“We’re grateful to contract with the county to do it,” Hong said, “and our working hypothesis from being in this work for this long, the demand will be very high. I’m eager to hear more about the planning for April 1 because I would hate for the agencies and organizations that got funded to have to start saying no to taxpayers. I’m just a person who thinks it’s never too early to start planning.”