Maine unveils public-private pilot program
(The Center Square) – As Maine tries to ease a significant work force shortage, state officials are dangling public money to private companies to help give workers a ride to their jobs.
The Maine Department of Labor has rolled out a $5 million pilot program, backed by federal pandemic relief funds, that will provide competitive grants to companies to expand ride-sharing, van pools and other subsidized transit options to serve workers who lack transportation or live too far away from their place of employment.
Bruce Van Note, commissioner of the Maine Department of Transportation, said the new program will connect employers that are desperately trying to fill open positions to prospective job seekers from outside their area.
“Many Maine employers are looking for workers while many Maine people are struggling to connect to available employment opportunities,” he said in a statement. “These funds will allow MaineDOT to work with our partners across the state to identify challenges and develop solutions to address workforce transportation challenges all over Maine.”
He said the work-transit program is designed to support economic sectors in Maine that were hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the tourism and hospitality industries.
Laura Fortman, commissioner of the state Department of Labor, said reliable transportation is a “key barrier” for many workers, “especially in rural communities where workers may need to travel farther distances to available jobs matching their goals and skill sets.”
“This is an exciting opportunity for employers to work creatively and collaboratively to attract and retain workers both inside and outside their immediate areas,” he said.
Labor leaders, who also support the program, say many workers are separating from available job openings because of the rising cost for transportation and a lack of affordable housing.
“As Maine workers struggle to find affordable housing, they are being forced to live farther and farther away from major population centers where most of the jobs are,” said Matt Schlobohm, executive director of the Maine AFL-CIO. “As a result, many are making extremely long commutes that put wear and tear on their vehicles and require them to spend more of their household budgets on gas.”
Under the program administered by MaineDOT’s Bureau of Planning, the grants will be capped at $750,000 per recipient, according to the labor department.
There is no application deadline to apply for funding, according to the bureau, which said it will distribute the funds on a rolling basis until they’ve been disbursed. The money can be used for capital and operating costs, including program start-up costs, the bureau said.
The pilot program is the latest round of pandemic-related disbursements from Gov. Janet Mills’ $1 billion Maine Jobs & Recovery plan, which is funded with federal relief money.
President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan last year, which provided direct payments to individuals and billions of dollars for states and local governments.
Maine got more than $4.5 billion from the pandemic relief package, including money for businesses and direct payments to residents and funding for local governments.
Disclaimer: This content is distributed by The Center Square
