This is an FFY 2021 section 5310 ARP funding application (knoxville tennessee UZA) in the amount of $101991 representing 100% federal share of the total eligible amount

The Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration awarded a $101,991 Project Grant to the Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission under the Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities program (CFDA 20.513). The grant funds will support operating assistance for the Knoxville Knox County Community Action Committee Volunteer Assisted Transportation program. This program provides transportation services to seniors and individuals with disabilities in the Knoxville, Tennessee urbanized area through volunteer drivers. Specifically, the grant will fund three temporary staff positions to help meet high service demand and allow full-time staff to focus on volunteer recruitment efforts. The single sub-award of $101,991 to the Knoxville Knox County CAC VAT program is expected to support 116 additional monthly trips for 29 riders and recruitment of 29 additional volunteers over the grant period, which runs from January 22, 2022 to March 30, 2028.

Activities

With the ARP funds requested three temporary employees will help the program in a variety of ways. The main focus will be providing trips to help meet the high-level of service requests while the full-time staff can concentrate on volunteer recruitment. Volunteers are the life blood of the CAC VAT program. However when not providing trips the temporary staff can help with cleaning and maintaining the agency owned vehicles training information dissemination and volunteer recruitment. The funding also helps provide supplies training fuel and other expenses. As noted the CAC VAT program provides agency owned cars for the volunteers to use (instead of their own) and therefore the program purchases fuel for the automobiles.3).

Expected outcomes

In total the CAC VAT program was awarded $141350 from the ARP and crssa funding. This ARP grant is for $101991 (72.2%) and $39359 (27.8%) will come from a companion crrssa grant. The total CAC VAT application to the TPO/MPC for this project stated IT will help provide 160 additional monthly trips to an additional 40 riders. So when prorated by the percentages this exact ARP funding will provide 116 additional monthly trips to an additional 29 riders. By having the additional workers the main staff can concentrate on volunteer driver recruitment. IT is a goal that CAC VAT will be able to recruit an additional 40 volunteers (prorated for this ARP grant to 29) throughout this grant. 4).

Intended beneficiaries

Seniors and/or persons who are disabled in the knoxville tennessee UZA.5). Sub-recipient activities: 100% of this funding will be distributed (by sub-award) to the knoxville knox county CAC volunteer assisted transportation (VAT) program located at 2247 western avenue knoxville TN 37921. The CAC VAT program is a long-term section 5310 sub-recipient of the TPO/MPC and is in good standing with the overall program management plan requirements.