Buffalo residents needing help with transportation and finances now have access to a new resource.
Community Action Organization of WNY and the Erie County Clerk’s Office are launching the DRIVE to Success Program. The program helps residents work toward their driver’s license and aids with getting a vehicle.
Vehicle access means residents can clear a major hurdle toward employment, said Melanie Porter, CAO’s Hope Initiative senior program director.
“That is an important step towards freedom and independence, so people can then and families can work on targeting jobs that are outside of the city limits, and then all the things that move economic freedom forward," she said.
DRIVE to Success is a part of the HOPE Initiative, a pilot program to help unemployed or underemployed residents achieve employment and financial self-dependence.
To qualify for DRIVE, applicants must live in Buffalo, have a resident in the home under 18 years old, and the entire household must be at or below the federal poverty line. The program is funded by $56,000, from a portion of Child Poverty Reduction Grant funding awarded to Erie County.
The program will provide support to 125 residents as they work toward their learner’s permit, license test, and purchase of a vehicle.
But it’s more than that.
Educating residents to avoid insurance scammers is especially important, Erie County Clerk Mickey Kearns said.
“People in many demographics, in some of these zip codes, are paying more for car insurance," he said. "That means we have to let people know, what is their responsibility after they get a vehicle? We are going to sit down with them. We're going to talk to them. We're going to answer their questions. They may have never had car insurance before.”
CAO will work with program members on financial literacy, as well as help negotiate with dealerships to ensure a fair vehicle price.
