By Susan Rue; CCCC Parent, Family, Community Engagement Manager |

Over the last several years, we have partnered with TriMet to provide CCCC families with much needed transportation relief in the form of monthly transit passes. Our family service providers partner with enrolled families to identify those most in need of this support in order to access the passes. For the 2021-2022 school year, TriMet has doubled our awarded amount – meaning we can serve twice as many families with monthly passes as we did throughout the last school year. We now have 144 passes to award this school year, for a total of almost $15,000 in fare relief!  

Owning and maintaining a vehicle is costly. For many families in our county, essential expenses like food, clothing, and housing make owning a vehicle challenging and sometimes impossible. Receiving a transit pass allows families to divert funds to other areas, while still being able to have transportation to and from work and for important family appointments.

TriMet transit passes also support families in helping to ensure that children make it to school, improving their attendance, which also improves child outcomes in the classroom. We know that attendance rates in preschool can be an indicator for school success in kindergarten, and can even be linked to high school graduation rates. TriMet’s transit passes play a key role in reducing barriers to good attendance and supporting future school success.  

Thank you, TriMet, for helping families in our program get where they need to go, and for helping us to serve, connect, and grow in Clackamas County!