Penquis awarded transportation planning grant

Penquis C.A.P., Inc. has been awarded a 2024 Rural Community Innovations: Transportation Planning Grant, which is funded by the Federal Transit Administration and administered by the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center. This $35,000 grant is one of 12 grants awarded nationally and will help Penquis to develop a comprehensive transportation plan aimed at improving accessibility and equity within our community.

Penquis will use these funds to develop a transportation plan for Penobscot and Piscataquis counties that will reduce transportation barriers for older adults, people with disabilities, and people who need frequent non-emergency transportation. The planning activities will work to identify transportation barriers, consider current and future community needs, actively engage older adults and people with disabilities, and create and strengthen multi-sector partnerships.

“Transportation has continued to be a significant barrier to meeting basic needs for many Mainers,” says Steven Richard, Penquis Transportation Services director. “We are thankful for this funding that will help us address key transportation barriers and better serve the needs of our residents, particularly older adults and people with disabilities.”

Penquis is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1967 to assist individuals and families in improving their financial stability. Penquis programs and services focus efforts in four key areas: access to transportation, housing stability, school readiness, and healthy lives. Through its programs and subsidiaries, Penquis affects all of Maine’s 16 counties but primarily individuals in Penobscot, Piscataquis, and Knox counties. Up to 5,000 people are served on any given day and more than 30,000 each year.