If all goes as planned, the September 8 Santa Rosa County Board of CountyCommissioners meeting will be well attended. Bridges Out of Poverty President Dr. Karen Barber asks the community at large to attend to show support for a return of public transportation. She discovered a lack of transportation is the number one barrier for climbing out of poverty. She and others in the Bridges organization have worked since last summer to see its return. Brian Nall, pastor at Ferris Hill Baptist Church (FHBC) in Milton and Bridges board member as a faith community representative, asks churches to attend and bring their church vehicles filled with members to, in turn, fill the boardroom auditorium. Nall and Barber’s purposes are to show the commission the need for a public transportation system in SRC and the faith community’s willingness to help.
Monday, FHBC hosted the second faith-based transportation meeting. Nall said the biggest issue facing churches interested in such a ministry is insurance. He said some insurance companies simply don’t allow churches to operate in such a transportation capacity, while others limit how they may do so. “Churches will have to decide whether to adjust their policy, the vehicle, or the company,” he said.
The faith community is not planning to fill the broad transportation needs of the county, Nall said. “(We) want to fill any gaps in transportation. We want the county to take the lead and we’ll fill the gaps,” he said. Nall added churches like LivingTruthChurch in Pace have no vehicles but want to participate.
The current transportation service in the county, the Para Transit service, operated by Tri-County Community Council, serves the transportation disadvantaged community. Public Transit, Nall said, has gaps the faith community may be able to fill as well, such as students needing a daily ride to Locklin Technical or Pensacola State College. Dr. Karen Barber, president of Bridges Out of Poverty, said Public Transit works for doctor’s appointments but “to depend on it for work and school, (it’s) not designed nor has the capacity for that.” Barber added there is no transportation service in the county with a fixed route.
Nall also referred to a story Dr. Anthea Amos, dean of the Pensacola State College Milton Campus, shared about a student who had a scholarship but no way to get to school; she said the studernt had “ a full ride but no ride.” This MiltonHigh School graduate had a full Pell Grant. He enrolled, lost access to transportation, and had to drop his classes.
This call to attendance goes out to anyone who wants to see public transportation return to Santa RosaCounty, Barber said. Last July, the SRC Board of County Commissioners challenged Barber and Bridges Out of Poverty to show them what kind of support county citizens have for public transportation. Barber said, “So what we are going to do that day is demonstrate community support for transit and the overwhelming benefits it’s going to bring to our community.” She added, “Bring your closest 20 friends.”
A story Barber shared was about a certified teacher with a visually impaired son. “He got a regular diploma. He wants to work but has no way to get there.” With public transportation, he could get to work, she said. “As a student, he was in a work program where he worked at GulfBreezeHospital. Now he’s no longer a k12 student. He graduated, so his access to work is gone.”
Barber also said she’s begun to come across households with a car where, she said, one would assume the family has no transportation concerns. “The main breadwinner may be able to drive but…just the burden of car insurance per driver prohibits many of having other drivers, regardless of having a working vehicle. If they can’t afford insurance, that individual has a huge barrier to post secondary education or work. Public transportation would provide those individuals (a way) to work and school, and once they get a good job, they can pay for their own insurance.”
Barber said, “We encourage people to attend and show support to the county commissioners so they understand people are in support of public transportation.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Waiting at the bus stop