Real Choice Systems Change Grant

To conduct a pilot project that facilitates coordinated transportation planning in Montana.

Thanks to the efforts of the Montana Transportation Partnership (MTP), the Montana Department of Health and Human Services received federal funding for the Real Choice Systems Change Grant. The grant, which will run for three years, will bring a total of more than one-half million dollars for coordinated transportation projects to Montana. MTP and WTI will assist two pilot communities in conducting a coordinated planning process. The project will provide the communities with funding and technical support to design and implement a coordinated transportation system and identify technology tools for local implementation. The pilot systems will serve as models to other Montana communities. This project will utilize the Montana Coordinated Transportation Handbook, produced by WTI and funded by the Montana Council on Developmental Disabilities, as a basis for the coordination work. MTP, WTI and the Montana Department of Transportation will develop the requirements for a statewide reporting system that facilitates sharing of data on transportation services. Currently, data on needs, clients, and services is collected according to individual funding sources spread across various state departments. The planned new system would allow service providers to enter client information and service data once, which would then be forwarded to all applicable departments.