For those with Philadelphia jobs in the suburbs, getting to work can be a hassle. However, the Philadelphia Unemployment Project has found a way to help.
For nearly three years the organization has run a program that helps workers who live in the city get to jobs in the suburbs. Under the program, drivers get personal use of a van for 200 miles per month in return for taking coworkers to work, according to an article by The Philadelphia Inquirer. The project pays for the van, insurance, maintenance and gasoline.
The van program launched in March 2006 with a few leased vans and $1.4 million in federal funding, which was matched by funds from Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry, the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare and some employers, who pay $2,000 per year for each van. The program now has 29 vans and 130 riders working all shifts. The city also has seen an additional $900,000 in federal funding, while $600,000 from the original grants still remain.
The program is becoming especially useful in today’s economy. Last week the United States Department of Labor reported that the country lost 533,000 jobs during November, the largest number of jobs lost in a single month since December 1974. Many of those who take advantage of the program are African Americans. Unemployment among African Americans in Philadelphia increased to 11.2 percent during November, up from 8.4 percent last year, compared to 6.7 percent nationally, an increase of 4.7 percent last year.
“There is a labor shortage in the suburbs and a labor surplus in the city,” John Dodds, director of the Philadelphia Unemployment Project, said in the article. “They can get out to the suburbs and do a little better.”
While the van program is currently running strong, some drivers have been laid off because of the economy, and the program also is having trouble finding licensed drivers.