Ann Carlson, the Director of The Dignity Center submitted these stories.
* John: John is homeless, and is staying at St. Stephen’s Shelter. He has plantar fasciitis on his feet and finds it very difficult to walk. He’s trying to get to appointments to look for a job at the work force center, sign up for housing and get to medical appointments. He depends on the Dignity Center to give him tokens to get to his appointments so that he doesn’t have to walk so much. Every day walking is painful.
* Tina has two little kids under the age of three. She is a full time student at MCTC. In order to go to her classes, she has to take the bus to take her kids to day care, then get back on the bus and get to her class on time at the college. She depends on the Semester bus pass, costing $85 that the Dignity Center purchases through MCTC college. Without this bus pass, Tina could not manage to get her kids to day care and get to school herself. She lives on the Minnesota Family Investment Program ( MFIP) which gives her approximately $465 to cover all expenses for the month.
* Al has severe arthritis and is expecting to have a hip replacement soon…..as soon as he can get the approval from the new Coordinated Care Delivery System medical insurance to have the operation. Walking is extremely painful for Al. He has qualified for the Mobility Bus Pass costing $31 per month which is available for people with a diagnosed disability. Since Al gets only $203 per month from General Assistance, he depends on the Dignity Center to provide him with the mobility bus pass.
* Rich is a full time student at MCTC and will graduate from college next spring. Since he has been working with the Dignity Center, he has gotten his GED, moved from homelessness into an apartment, gotten a part time seasonal job. He depends on the Dignity Center to provide him with the semester bus pass costing $85 to get to his classes.
These stories illustrate the importance of transportation assistance to support people to become more self-sufficient. Without the transportation, in some cases, folks would not be able make the necessary progress to become stabilized.
For those who would like to contribute to social justice by helping The Dignity Center with meeting transportation needs for clients like those mentioned in the above stories, there are two ways. First, donations may be made through the Hennepin Church website and can be paid with paypal. Funds can be designated for the Dignity Center for transportation. Alternatively, donors can send a check to the Dignity Center and put “transportation” on the memo line. Financial gifts, the work of volunteers, and the resiliency of clients, together, can lead to self-sufficiency.