Helping reunite families, Committee hears "Climb" transit plan for families in crisis

Jun. 24—A program designed to help reunite children with parents in crisis in Oklahoma County could expand into Cleveland County.

The City Council's Community Planning and Transportation Committee heard a presentation from Embark on its Climb Ride program, which provides transport as parents work to reunite with their children in the foster care system.

A partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services and Embark provides transportation services, on demand and scheduled bus service, to help parents keep appointments with counselors, treatment centers, jobs and court-appointed visitations, said Embark's Mobility Management Administrator Marilyn Dillon.

Dillon did not have a cost analysis for a program in Cleveland County, but said the Oklahoma County program is funded by the Sue Ann Arnall Family Foundation. According to the Oklahoma Gazette, the foundation announced a $1 million grant program toward "improving the transportation needs of parents who struggle to visit their children," an August 2018 article indicated.

Ward 8 Matt Peacock asked if the program could be administered through the city or if it was strictly a county program.

"This is totally replicable and scalable," Dillon said. "You would need to tweak it a little bit."

Most cases are stuck in limbo for 24-36 months due to the constant demand for transportation, but the program shortens the time participants experience in the foster care system, Dillon said.

When children are removed, parents are put on a reunification plan that includes numerous appointments.

"This can be upwards of 20 trips a week," Dillon explained. "If you don't have a car, if you don't have a job, if you don't have family members that don't work during the day, because all of these services are happening 8-5 Monday through Friday — then how in the world are you going to do that?"

Because the Climb Ride program, which started in October 2019, shortens the length of time that children are in foster care, it also decreases the cost of support services, which is about $4,000 per child per month, Dillon said.

A father reunited with his children in 12 months — half the time it often takes, she said.

"By simply reducing his case time by half, that's a $30,000 savings in services that [would have] needed to be provided. It only cost us $4,000 in trip costs to close that case," she said.

Each case closed using the program also resulted in no recidivism. A component to the program tracks the rides the person takes to appointments. If someone is not taking rides to substance abuse, mental health or other services to keep the case on track for reunification, the caseworker is alerted.

Dillon called this drop in using transportation to services "disengaging." When that happens, a mobility coordinator alerts the caseworker within seven days that the client isn't riding, and probably not keeping appointments.

Often clients who are not engaging in the program have reverted back to substance abuse or behaviors that placed them in the system to begin with, Dillon said.

"We know they're not engaging," she said. "So, we immediately call the caseworker. We've turned around, I think 12 cases that would have disengaged and ended in termination of parental rights just because of that early intervention, just because someone called and said, 'Hey is everything ok? Do you need anything?' That was all it took to get them back on track. They all succeeded."

Another incentivization in the program for those who are on track with their reunification plan is a cash reward system using a virtual wallet.

"If they've been in for 30 days, they don't have any no-shows or late, cancellations, they're actively engaging in the plan and haven't tested positive on the drug screening, then they get $250 a month in a wallet," Dillon said. "They can use it any way they want to, to take on demand trips that aren't covered their individualized service plan required by the court, but they're trips we feel are important for success."

For families who succeed at reunification, they receive a one-year pass on Embark's street car and public transit system in Oklahoma City, Dillon said.

"So, they're set up for one year afterward with the ability to get from point A to point B," she said.

The program is in operation in all Oklahoma County DHS offices. One mobility coordinator can handle 50 cases, Dillon said.

Data showed 39% of the trips taken were visits with children.

"Study after study, after study, has shown that you have greater outcomes in the child welfare system, more positive outcomes the more time that parents spend with children," she said.

Trips also tracked high for drug testing, counseling and classes — from parenting and cook classes to domestic violence prevention courses.

Results of the report also indicated the success rate of reunification is as high as 65% while typical cases — not on the Climb Ride program — are 35%.

Dillon said the program also partners with other organizations which offer transportation such as the van at Palomar, a family crisis center in Oklahoma City. Embark has a van and driver that transports those clients, but because the van "isn't always full," Dillon said they are looking at doubling up trips or adding outside clients to that service.

Ward 4 Lee Hall said that could be "timely with other challenges that we're facing with various populations in Norman," she said.

The council has discussed a pilot program to offer on-demand transit services in areas where bus transit does not go and for clients who cannot ride transit buses.

Peacock expressed support for the Climb program.

"This is an incredible program, and I'd love to see what it would take to bring it down here," he said.

Mindy Wood covers City Hall news and notable court cases for The Transcript. Reach her at mwood@normantranscript.com or 405-416-4420.

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