Digital Scholarship and Initiatives

The authors begin by noting that the two primary barriers to the transition from welfare to work are childcare and transportation. The latter is a greater problem in rural areas. They describe the geographic and social/cultural characteristics of Robeson County, noting its triracial population, rising number of Hispanics, and the presence of social problems such as high infant mortality rate, high numbers of children born out of wedlock, illiteracy, unemployment, high school dropout rates, and high murder rates. An interesting description is given of the mission of the Robeson County Church and Community Center and its role in establishing a county transportation system. The authors then explain the system's transfer to the Lumber River Council of Governments, reasons for its success, and future needs (particularly the suitability of Robeson County for a light rail system). The authors list five environmental attributes of Robeson County which made it successful in procuring grant funding for this project: the county's unique social and geographical features which increase its interest to grantors; an established community assessment system; the grant-writing strengths and experience of the Robeson County Church and Community Center; cooperation among local agencies in administering the project; and the project stat's strong management skills. Then they assess the transportation plan's effectiveness, based on focus group interviews with welfare recipients (many of whom depend on the system to get them to and from jobs).