JCCGCI Offers No-Cost Transportation for Crown Heights Seniors

The Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island (JCCGCI) is pleased to announce that its no-cost Older Adult Transportation Program is available to all residents of Crown Heights age 60 and older, providing vital transportation to medical appointments and other essential medical and non-medical appointments and services.

The Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island (JCCGCI) is pleased to announce that its no-cost Older Adult Transportation Program is available to all residents of Crown Heights age 60 and older, providing vital transportation to medical appointments and other essential medical and non-medical appointments and services.

There is no charge whatsoever to eligible older adults for these transportation services.

Older adults can register for the program and request trips by calling JCCGCI at 718-449-5000, ext. 1, or by clicking here.

JCCGCI has been providing older adult transportation since 1981 — 45 years of helping New Yorkers remain healthy, connected and independent. What began as a community-based response to an urgent need has grown into one of New York City’s largest and most established older adult transportation programs.

Today, JCCGCI’s transportation services are available to all residents of Brooklyn age 60 and older. JCCGCI also provides group transportation for residents age 60 and older throughout Staten Island.

For the past ten years, JCCGCI has been designated by the New York City Department for the Aging as its sole standalone provider of older adult transportation for the borough of Brooklyn. The program is supported through funding from New York City, New York State and private-sector sources.

Transportation Tailored to the Needs of Each Older Adult

Recognizing that older adults have widely differing levels of mobility and transportation needs, JCCGCI provides several forms of transportation.

Depending upon an individual’s needs, JCCGCI offers individual car service or ambulette trips to medical and other essential appointments and services; group van shuttle transportation to Older Adult Centers; and group bus trips for educational events, recreation and shopping.

The program has also been designed to eliminate many of the difficulties older adults often encounter when arranging transportation.

Seniors can wait in the comfort and safety of their own homes until receiving a telephone call informing them that their driver has arrived. Trips may be booked as far in advance as desired, while passengers are not required to predict exactly when an appointment will end or specify a return time in advance. They can simply call JCCGCI when they are ready for their return trip.

JCCGCI’s transportation staff reflects the diversity of the communities the program serves. Staff members are fluent in English, Spanish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Russian, Chinese and Yiddish, helping older adults communicate comfortably and ensuring that language does not become a barrier to accessing needed transportation.

Enrollment is designed to be equally accessible and responsive. When an older adult calls JCCGCI to enroll in the transportation program, staff can process the application immediately. At the same time, JCCGCI staff can help identify other programs and benefits for which the individual may be eligible and, where appropriate, provide referrals to additional services.

Transportation Is Essential to Independence

For many older New Yorkers, transportation is far more than a matter of convenience — it is an essential lifeline.

Many elderly individuals are physically unable to navigate subways and buses and cannot afford the cost of private car services. Without accessible transportation, older adults may miss important medical appointments, be unable to shop for basic necessities, lose opportunities to participate in community and Older Adult Center activities, and gradually become isolated from friends and neighbors.

The result can be that individuals who were once active in their communities increasingly remain alone at home, losing important social connections and facing an increased risk of loneliness and depression.

Moreover, because mobility is often among the first functions to become impaired with advancing age, the availability of reliable transportation can be essential to an older adult’s ability to continue living independently in his or her own home and community.

JCCGCI recognized this critical need more than four decades ago. In 1981, the organization established a transportation program specifically designed to enable low-income and functionally impaired older adults to attend medical and entitlement-related appointments, shop for necessities, participate in Older Adult Centers and access other essential community services.

Over the ensuing 45 years, this highly acclaimed program expanded dramatically to become one of the largest older adult transportation programs in New York City.

More Than 112,000 Transportation Services Last Year

During the past year alone, JCCGCI provided more than 112,000 transportation units of service — averaging approximately 450 trips each day — to nearly 7,000 older adults throughout Brooklyn.

Behind those numbers are thousands of individual New Yorkers able to get to a doctor, obtain groceries, attend an Older Adult Center, participate in an educational or recreational activity, maintain friendships and community connections, and continue living independently because safe and reliable transportation was available to them.

“For 45 years, JCCGCI has understood that transportation is one of the fundamental ingredients of independence for older adults,” said Rabbi Moshe Wiener, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island. “An older person should never have to miss an important medical appointment, remain isolated at home, or be unable to obtain essential services simply because he or she cannot safely use a subway or bus or cannot afford a private car service. We want every older resident of Crown Heights — and throughout Brooklyn — to know that this resource is available to them at absolutely no cost.”

Rabbi Wiener added: “A ride can mean much more than getting from one location to another. It can mean access to health care, continued participation in community life, relief from loneliness and, most importantly, the ability of an older New Yorker to remain independent with dignity. Our goal is not simply to provide transportation, but to help older adults continue to live full, connected and independent lives in the communities they call home.”

JCCGCI is encouraging community organizations, synagogues, churches, healthcare providers, physicians, hospitals, social-service agencies, elected officials, caregivers, family members and neighbors throughout Crown Heights to help spread the word so that every older resident who could benefit from the program becomes aware of this important no-cost resource.

How to Register or Request Transportation

Crown Heights residents age 60 and older — as well as eligible older adults throughout Brooklyn — may register for JCCGCI’s Older Adult Transportation Program and request trips by calling 718-449-5000, ext. 1.

Applications can be processed immediately by JCCGCI transportation staff, who can also help connect callers with other services and benefits for which they may be eligible.

Registration and additional program information are also available online here.

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