Gateway Services

Declared an essential service nationwide during covid-19, access johnson county public transportation continued all service operations throughout 2022 with few new modifications, while maintaining additional safety protocols implemented in 2020. Access provided 52,856 local passenger trips during 2022 and added 400 new first-time registered passengers, in addition to 'walk-ons' boarding at bus stops. Of these trips, 27,672 (52% of total) were on the fixed route service which had increased frequency in 2012 through a system redesign made possible by the jobs access/reverse commute grants from indot and indygo/indianapolis public transit corporation. 19,507 different individual registered passengers have used access since its onset, plus an unknown unregistered number of bus stop walk-ons. Accessalong with Gateway's case management servicescontinued throughout 2022 to coordinate with united way of johnson county and others in response to additional community issues, related to the pandemic and other local unmet needs. In addition, access dispatched volunteer drivers' trips for veterans to the va hospital; transitioned from coordinating the indot grant for rural transit Services for a 3-county service area including purchased Services from local providers, supporting their movement to 'stand-alone' indot systems while johnson county operated its first year as an urbanized system along with 3 other reclassified central Indiana "circe" counties now funded through the indianapolis transit system. This followed 3 years of intensive planning (in the midst of a pandemic) among the 4 counties, their existing transit grant pass-through service providers (all non-profits), indygo replacing indot administering the federal funds, the fta, the metropolitan planning organization, central in regional transit authority, and all their various consultants. Each county also was required to conduct an rfp process in coordination with indygo for service provider selection under federal procurement guidelines, through which we were competitively selected to continue to provide the Services we developed over 25 years ago in response to united way's 1993 assessment of the number one unmet local need.

Community case management includes united way of johnson county's economic assistance planning focused on regaining financial stability for families impacted by job loss due to the economy or other disrupting life events. Of the 25 total families served in 2022, 23 were new eligible families added out of 28 new referrals. Case management for 11 other families was provided in 2022 (again including 7 new referrals) as part of a network of local agencies through united way's new no place to call home initiative, begun in late 2016 to help prevent homelessness in johnson county, with a similar goal of establishing family financial stability for those at risk. These higher 2022 numbers for these two Services represent the declining impact of covid and its specialized assistance available to qualifying families, as the primary need and "resource of first resort". At the initial outbreak of the virus, united way enlisted us to coordinate a rapid response initiative of case management and financial assistance for those in economic hardship due to covid, in 2020, 258 eligible families had been served out of 287 referrals; another 252 new families in 2021, out of 255 referrals; for a total of 510 families (out of 542 referrals) when the case management portion of this program formally concluded dec. 2021. But Gateway provided continued coordination throughout the project closure process during early 2022, including distributing all available remaining client assistance funds to for eligible family needs through the 1st quarter. During 2022, case management and/or financial assistance was provided to 97 more qualifying impacted families, benefiting a total of 607 eligible covid-impacted families households 2020-2022. All these Services grew from the successful conclusion of three years of flood disaster long-term recovery case management from 2008-2010, serving 915 local recovering families for united way. - community employment Services opened cases for and served another 9 new referrals in 2022 for voc rehab placement and training Services, despite having been forced in 2021 to create a waiting list for these Services for the first time in our historythe last service provider in our region to do so--due to the high demand for employment Services, a state-wide loss of employment professionals throughout the state service delivery system (including several of ours), and the lingering impact of covid on businesses and on staff recruitment. Prioritizing our pledge of ongoing career supports for continued successful employment or those already working (including sustaining individual job retention success and longevity in community employment, ranging up to the highest individual record of 33 years continuous successful employment despite fluctuating economic conditions over the years), seasoned staff from other areas of the agencyaccess johnson county, respite, and case managementstepped forward to help the remaining employment staff and cross-train to temporarily supply additional caseload coverage for those already working, and 41 individuals received these extended career support/'follow-along' Services, and successfully holding their community jobs in 2022. By fall of 2022 new employment staff had been hired and were providing service, and all clients who had been placed on hold for placement Services were able to re-open. By the end of 2022 our waiting list for voc rehab Services had ended and new referrals were being received. The cross-departmental staff providing coverage have continued to assist throughout this transition. With all this, 121 individuals with disabilities (2 of whom are deaf or hard of hearing) were assisted with their job search, new-hire training, and/or ongoing successful job retention and employment/career support. And even with adapted methods and continuing pandemic impact and disruption during 2022, there were 10 new job placements made. 7 individuals were served by our certified benefits information specialists teaching clients how work will affect their benefits, encouraging them to work to their fullest potential, and assisting them in coordinating their disability benefits with working, to allow greater independence. Gateway is also a federally-approved employment network, serving 14 individuals in 2022 under ticket to work focusing on assisting those who wish to work their way off of disability-related social security benefits or who don't qualify for other federal/state employment Services. 2 of these started full-time benefitted positions, and another started part-time work, testing their ability to consider full-time work. - habilitation Services provided in 2022 to individuals with disabilities included service coordination (180); and day program (35) emphasizing meaningful community participation, access to community opportunities and local resources, volunteerism, handling of life events with support from staff, skill development, inclusive recreation/leisure activities and events, and personal enrichment. These Services had been among the hardest hit by the covid state-wide restrictions on group events and gatherings, forcing some activities with community outings or large groups to be temporarily suspended, but others quickly reinvented themselves and went virtual--monthly club 31, now in its 10th year; conducted theme-based events remotely to maintain social connections with one another; until reopening in person in summer of 2022, resuming their normal activities for the first time since the pandemic began in early 2020. Franklin college best buddies (in its 20th year) held virtual sessions during the school year; and our local kiwanis 'aktion club' chapter, having completed its 26th year in the pandemic, is forced to continue to suspend its volunteerism and community service projects till 2023 but resumed meeting in person in summer of 2022 . Day program also quickly had gone virtual when covid hit, but in 2 weeks had developed a curriculum allowing those we serve to participate daily from their homes, also receiving cards and notes, activity packets, and phone calls of support. Innovative curriculum continued to be developed and available through 2022, including zoom groups with participants at home, but when conditions allowed between periods of covid case fluctuations, individuals whose families were comfortable doing so resumed group participation, with appropriate precautions for that time period in place and enforced. Day program was able to operate in person throughout 2022, except for one brief shutdown during a brief outbreak of covid cases within their group, and hab Services happily had resumed its full schedule of community activities and outings in spring of 2022. - other community disability Services include transition which is for high school students with disabilities from 5 johnson county school systems served, developing skills for employment, leadership, life skills and access to community involvement through local partnerships. After school/transition had members during ongoing covid precautions but the reduced number of participants had engaged in a newly re-designed curriculum, and continued adapting to using ppe, socially distancing, and finally temporarily suspending community-based projects and outings, and summer camps due to covid. Families chose not to participate in a virtual option during shut-down periods. During 2022, the after school and summer programs remained paused due to ongoing participation and staffing recruitment issues in the aftermath of the covid pandemic. Gateway Services has long been an advocate for transition age youth to learn work, social and life skills they will need after high school and is re-evaluating how best to provide these Services in the current climate for students preparing for life after high school. Respite Services provided caregiver support for children and adults, with all the needed precautions, to 23 families in 2022 through 3,065 hours of respite care, supplied by a Gateway trained relief caregiver who the family personally chooses from individuals they already know and trust. Because of this, respite care Services were only minimally impacted by covid. Respite is provided both in the home and in community locations, offering safe, guilt-free time and opportunity for caregivers, adding to the quality of life of the whole family. The current members of a community-based work crew working on-site at nsk for the past 20+ years entered a new chapter after the company's covid shutdown, as 100% of the individual members including the crew leader were directly hired by nsk as company employees for their return to work in 2021.