Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities (Section 5310) Grant

The Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities (Section 5310) program aims to improve transportation options for seniors and individuals with disabilities by removing barriers to access. It provides federal funds for necessary services, including vehicle purchases for paratransit. Eligible applicants include private nonprofits and local authorities approved to coordinate such services. This initiative enhances mobility for essential activities like employment, medical appointments, and grocery shopping, ultimately supporting community integration and independence.

Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities (Section 5310)
Improving mobility for seniors and individuals with disabilities by removing barriers to transportation services and expanding transportation options. These funds increase mobility to and from:

• Employment
• Grocery shopping
• Medical appointments
• Educational opportunities

Under the Section 5310 program, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) provides federal funds for activities including the purchase of Paratransit vehicles and equipment to support transportation services for the elderly and people with disabilities where existing transportation is unavailable, inappropriate or insufficient. The FTA provides 80 percent of the cost of capital items; the remaining 20 percent must be provided by local funding, which may include funding from other federal programs other than U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) programs or from DOT’s Federal Office of Lands Highway program.
OKI, as the designated recipient of the Section 5310 federal funds in the Cincinnati urbanized area, is responsible for managing the program for agencies located in Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties in Southwest Ohio; Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties in Northern Kentucky and Dearborn County in Southeast Indiana.
Private nonprofit (501(c) (3)) corporations, public bodies identified by their state as lead agencies in a coordination project, or public bodies which certify that no private nonprofit corporations exist within their jurisdiction for the provision of elderly and disabled transportation are eligible to apply for Section 5310 federal funds.

Eligibility

A private nonprofit organization
State or local governmental authority that: is approved by a state to coordinate services for seniors and individuals with disabilities; or certifies that there are no nonprofit organizations readily available in the area to provide the service.
Applicants must be listed in the OKI Coordinated Public Transit – Human Services Transportation Plan.