COLCHESTER, Vt. (WCAX) – Can a town band together to keep disabled residents from losing their jobs? It’s a question Colchester is asking after cuts come to a popular social service.
Vermont’s Older Adults and Persons with Disabilities Transportation Program, or O&D, provides free rides to those who qualify. Officials say demand for the program has become too great, so service reductions are necessary to keep the program afloat.
We told you last week that folks who need critical care and use adult day services will still be able to do so without restrictions.
But doctors’ appointments, senior meal programs, and shopping trips will be limited to six rides a month. Wellness trips, social trips, and rides to work will be completely cut.
“Everything was fine before this, and we just want what we had before, back, so we can get to work, pay our bills, and be productive people of society, and not living in some tent,” said Colchester resident Ken Wagstaff.
Wagstaff is recovering from hip surgery. He’s one of the 89 people who will be affected in Colchester by the cuts. To get to work in Winooski, he says he’LL need to pay $500 a week in cab fare.
“I have no way to pay my rent or pay other bills that are necessary to live,” said Colchester resident Dustin Lamore.
Lamore has a similar problem. He’s blind and can’t drive, but he wants to work.
“We are also begging for people to work right now. And we have people here tonight begging to go to work. That just seems not equal,” said Colchester resident Heidi Vianz.
10 people spoke in opposition to the service reductions at a selectboard meeting on Tuesday night. The officials were so moved by their stories that the town manager is proposing taking transportation into Colchester’s hands.
“We feel like we could implement the smallest negative impact, which is what the state rules [GMT is] supposed to [do],” said Colchester Town Manager Aaron Frank.
Town staff say they’re willing to find ways to get their disabled and older residents to work.
They say they’ll conduct outreach to find volunteer drivers and organize a carpool for a weekly in-town grocery trip.
“This also impacts a large amount of people, and has a huge ripple effect. It’s not just the individuals who are missing out on work and being able to feed themselves and pay their rent, but it’s their employers who depend on them. It’s their families who are also trying to work and do the right thing,” said Colchester resident Jam Schamberger.
The service cuts previously mentioned won’t go into effect in Chittenden County until February 1st. Franklin, Grand Isle, and Washington counties’ older and disabled population has been managing with the same service reductions since December 15th.
