Car Care Program
InCommons Collaboration Challenge
Car Care Program
In response to the growing needs during the time of welfare reform in Anoka County,Free2B! was created because the Anoka County social ministry and social service agencies saw the need for developing a safety net for individuals who fall between the cracks in services as they make the transition to economic stability. The focus for the Car Care Program was developed in a faith forum gathering of the social justice representatives in Anoka County. Anoka County government leadership and city officials, along with faith community representatives (totaling 120 members) , were concerned about a large number of individuals with dependants on MFIP (Minnesota Family Investment Program) and the large immigrant/refugee population who faced transportation issues when they attempted employment options. Many individuals were unable to begin employment or stay employed due to lack of transportation.
About You
About You
First Name
Lori
Last Name
Chaddock
Country
United States, MN, Anoka County
About Your Organization
Organization
Free to Be, Inc.
Organization Website
Organization Phone
763-717-7755
Organization Address
1201 89th Ave. NE, Suite 230, Blaine, MN 55434
Organization Country
United States, MN, Anoka County
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Your Story
Collaboration Title
Car Care Program
Country your work focuses on
United States, MN, Anoka County
Describe your locally-based collaboration and the problem it sought to address
In response to the growing needs during the time of welfare reform in Anoka County,Free2B! was created because the Anoka County social ministry and social service agencies saw the need for developing a safety net for individuals who fall between the cracks in services as they make the transition to economic stability. The focus for the Car Care Program was developed in a faith forum gathering of the social justice representatives in Anoka County. Anoka County government leadership and city officials, along with faith community representatives (totaling 120 members) , were concerned about a large number of individuals with dependants on MFIP (Minnesota Family Investment Program) and the large immigrant/refugee population who faced transportation issues when they attempted employment options. Many individuals were unable to begin employment or stay employed due to lack of transportation.
Tell us about the community in which this collaboration took place
Anoka County is part of the seven-county Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro area but is on the fringe of the urban/rural area with extremely limited public transportation. Over eighty percent of individuals in the county commute alone to work in Anoka County.
Issue Selector
n/a
Partnership
Who was involved in co-creating or implementing your collaboration (other organizations, leaders, community members, etc.)?
A faith forum gathering of the social justice representatives in Anoka County, County and city officials, along with faith community representatives (totaling 120 people) were involved in co-creating the Car Care Program.Free2B! is the last hope for car care assistance for Anoka County residents. All other resources are utilized first and Free to Be meets the service gaps for those most in need.
To what extent does your collaboration involve partnerships that are outside or cross traditional organizational or sector boundaries?
Free2B! is located within the Anoka County Human Service Center. This one-stop facility is a collaborative of 21 human service and employment and training agencies. One of the primary partners is the Anoka County WorkForce Center which provides employment and job search services to unemployed workers, public assistance recipient, economically disadvantaged seniors and other low income workers.
Innovation
What makes your locally-based collaboration innovative and unique?
The Car Care Program works because of the number churches, businesses, multiple agencies, and repair shops that join resources to make the program work. Auto repair shops provide the use of their facility and volunteer mechanics complete the analysis. Many different businesses or churches will sponsor the Car Care Saturdays to help defray the repair costs.Free2B! has fifteen participating repair sites that repair one vehicle a month for Free2B! with donated labor. Free2B! has three parts suppliers that provide parts at their cost and one that provides the first $1,000 of parts per month free of charge, another provides $500 a month free of charge and the last provides a 30% additional discount. Free2B! would not be able to meet the ongoing demands without the volume of volunteer assistance. The typical volunteers on a Car Care Saturday include: one or two certified auto technicians, several mechanical engineers, a software engineer, a software consultant, one or two electrical engineers, a family physician (also a Nascar driver),and an orthopedic surgeon.Last year volunteers logged more than 7,573 hours in service to the care of others as mechanics, mechanic helpers, and cleaners.
Did you take risks in establishing this collaboration? Explain
Yes, the biggest risk was in hiring the initial staff without any assurance of continuing funding. Another risk was paying $5,000 for a program assessment and financial plan to determine feasibility.
How did this collaboration differ from the normal way of doing your work?
The Free2B! Car Care Program was designed as a program of collaboration. Collaboration with the County agencies, businesses and churches allows Free2B! to leverage community resources and maximize financial resources. Free2B! would have to pay labor on every car needing repair. During Car Care Saturday from the volunteer mechanics and from the one a month shops the labor is free.
Impact
How do you know your collaboration has been effective?
Minnesota public television produced a documentary of Free2B! as an exemplary and effective program. To see the documentary please go to: www.freetobeinc.org The collaboration Free2B! has established with a range of community partners has been effective because individuals have reliable transportation to obtain or retain employment and/or allow their families to participate in community activities. Ninety percent of collaborative partners will indicate that Free2B!’s work has improved the community. Free2B! receives donations of either time or money for services used from 10% of our clients, and Free2B! is effective in managing the various funds to operate efficiently and effectively. Free2B! is able to assist many more individuals because of this collaboration.
What progress or impact has been made?
Last year in 2009, Free2B! has been able to assist 196 families. Of this number, Free2B! donated 83 vehicles to individuals in need and the rest were car repair clients. Over 760 cars have been donated to families and over 2,800 cars have been repaired since the inception of Free to Be in 2000.
Next Steps
How would you go about continuing, expanding, or replicating this collaboration?
Free2B! continues to seek donations from many sources and has three fundraisers a year to generate funds. The Free2B! Board is completing strategic planning for funding to include greater sponsorship support from the community. The goal for the expansion of the fund raising activities is to increase revenue to replace $60,000 which was expected but not received from multiple sources in 2009. The sale of un-repairable cars is scheduled to provide about 15 percent of the needed funds. Vehicles donated to Free2B! that are beyond repair are sold for parts. The funds from the sale are used for the car repair clinics. Faith communities are budgeted to provide about 8 percent of the funding. Free2B! staff members are developing mailing lists and plan on a biannual fund appeal. Service clubs provide for about 6 percent of the funding. Foundations and county grants currently provide about 33 percent of the funding. Private and fund-raising makes up the balance of the contributions. Program expenses make up 93% of total functional expenses. Administrative/general and fundraising are 7% of the total.
Describe the current stage of implementation and desired next steps
Free2B! has developed a Car Care Procedural Manual to both help the communities asking for assistance in starting their own Car Care Program and to assist in a succession plan process in the next five years. Through fundraising, grants, and community assistance and collaboration Free2B! is sustaining and growing each year. Clients are referred to Free2B! for car care from churches and many agencies (CEAP, ACCAP, Alexandra House, Job Training Center counselors serving Diversionary Work Program and Minnesota Family Investment Program participants, Community Emergency Assistance Program’s (CEAP), Ways to Work Program, etc). We work collaboratively with the many of these agencies including, CEAP, MFIP, Job Training Center, Rise, Salvation Army, and Veterans Assistance programs. This is a mature collaboration and we often do joint projects. For example, many car recipients cannot afford the insurance to receive a car. CEAP pays for the car insurance and we provide the vehicle. Or we share with a County agency the cost of car repairs. This level of cooperation allows for the County to maximize available resources and minimize the transportation barriers that residents are facing. : For clients needing car repairs, all eligible individuals have an analysis on their vehicle prior to Car Care Saturday to determine the amount of repairs needed. Free2B! allows up to $300 per client for repairs. This is only for parts since the labor is all volunteered and it is at the Car Care Saturday that all repairs are completed. For clients receiving one of the Free2B! donated cars, they are inspected by a collaborative of repair shops, repaired, and donated to individuals or families in need. All of the volunteers are very competent on repairing cars. Each of the churches felt a need to provide car care assistance to needy families but didn’t feel competent in determining the best solution to the varied problems. By forming Free2B!, the churches were part of the solution by providing collaborative support.
| 134 weeks ago Lori Chaddock updated this Competition Entry. | |
| 135 weeks ago Lori Chaddock submitted this idea. |
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