Baker works on grant to begin do-it-yourself car repair center

By RENEE JEAN
Daily Journal Assistant Managing Editor

Published: Monday, December 07, 2009
Updated: Monday, November 30, 2009 9:30 AM CST

One stumbling block to self-sufficiency for low-income families has been transportation. It can be difficult for them to afford vehicle maintenance and car repairs. And, very often, they’re living at an apartment with rules against doing so much as an oil change in the parking lot.

“It leads to kind of a snowball effect when they don’t have the means to get the repairs or do them on their own,” said Rob Baker, with East Missouri Action Agency (EMAA). He’s been working on a grant to implement a do-it-yourself car repair center for low-income families.

The grant for $157,000 looks like it has a good chance at being funded, Baker said, and he has convened an advisory panel to help with development of the center. He won’t know for certain until at least January that the grant has been awarded, but the panel needs to be in place to act quickly enough to satisfy the grant’s requirements.

The advisory panel would help identify a suitable location, generate ideas to become self-sustaining and provide general guidance and oversight. Anyone interested in being part of the effort can reach Baker at 431-0103.

“The expected outcome is to create a garage where people can make low or no-cost repairs themselves to provide legal and reliable transportation,” Baker said.

Another component would be providing classes to the general public to teach them how to better maintain their vehicles. This can help prevent some of the more costly repairs and lengthen the life of the vehicle.

Baker said additional programs could assist low-income individuals in getting training to seek employment as auto mechanics.

Baker does not believe the center would compete with area mechanics because most of the time these individuals do not have money to go to a mechanic and would not go to one anyway.

Baker said they frequently have to seek car repair money to keep families going to work or going to career training programs.

“It’s kind of a double-edged sword,” he explained. “If you are receiving temporary assistance or unemployment, they require you to look for employment. But if you don’t have a vehicle, you can’t, so they then penalize you for not participating in the program. The people who want retraining can’t get to the training sites and can’t get their kids to day care. It just creates a downward spiral that keeps them from reaching a level of self-sufficiency.”

There used to be some state assistance for the problem, but it has dried up because too many people took advantage of it. Now they have to rely on private sources.

“This would help relieve some of the pressure on those organizations,” Baker said.

Long-range, Baker hopes to also create a donated car program similar to the one in St. Louis. Those donating the cars would be eligible for tax credits and the cars would only be available to those who meet certain income guidelines. The individuals would also be expected to pay the costs associated with refurbishing the vehicles to keep the program going.

The grant money for the Community Auto Repair System is from the economic stimulus program through Health and Human Services at the federal level. It’s being distributed as a Community Services Block Grant.

It’s a one-time grant, so the center must quickly become self-sustaining to last.

Renee Jean can be reached at 573-431-2010, ext. 117 or at rjean@dailyjournalonline.com.

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