Limited Public Transportation

Due to the limited accessibility of public transportation in Oakland County, owning a vehicle is a necessity. For many of Hospitality House's clients, reliable transportation represents the only real opportunity for reasonable access to a job, education and other necessities such as health care.

Cost of Owning a Vehicle

For an average vehicle that's driven 15,000 miles a year, costs of ownership (including fuel, maintenance, insurance premiums and taxes, license and registration fees), added up to $8,698 a year, according to AAA's 2015 Your Driving Costs study. That is approximately $725 a month, a significant expense for a family that is living at or below 200% of the federal poverty income guideline.

The Gap is Significant

In the household survival budget for a family of four, transportation accounts for 16 percent of the family budget. Yet for many ALICE households, 16 percent of what they actually earn is not enough to afford even the running costs of a car. While Michigan’s public transportation systems are state-funded, there is no government spending on transportation targeted specifically to ALICE and poverty-level families. However, nonprofits provide some programs, spending an estimated $76 million. Yet, when income and nonprofit assistance are combined, there is a 51 percent gap in resources for all households to meet the basic ALICE threshold for transportation.

The goal of Hospitality House's Pit Stop Program is to ease some of the financial burden of owning a vehicle for our clients.

Eligbility

What is Pit Stop?

Pit Stop is a grant based car repair program with limited funding.  Please note that funding may not be available at the time of your application.  Interested persons may call the pantry to inquire if funds are available.

Am I eligible to receive help?

HHFP may authorize vehicle repairs for existing eligible clients for a vehicle that is the primary means of transportation, even if public transit is available.

An existing eligible client is someone who has received HHFP food distribution or housing services within the last 90 days, AND has been a recipient of pantry services for longer than 30 days.

Please note that prior approval is required before assistance is authorized. The following conditions must be met:

  1. The person must be an Oakland County resident.
  2. An eligible client owns the vehicle.
  3. The client requesting the service has a valid driver’s license.
  4. The repair is expected to make the vehicle safe and roadworthy including new tires, headlamps, batteries, etc.

A lease vehicle may be repaired for a client when there is at least 12 months left in the lease agreement.

Authorizations for any vehicle purchased within the last 60 calendar days is prohibited.

HHFP only provides assistance for car repairs.  Towing or other related auto expenses such as gas, license plate tags, auto insurance, etc. are ineligible.

How much will HHFP contribute towards my auto repair?

Clients may receive assistance only once per calendar year.

Funding assistance is based on a sliding scale and is as follows

70% for repair costs that are less than $250.00

60% for repair costs that are more than $250.00 and less than $450.00

50% for repairs costs that are more than $450 and less than $900.00

$450.00 max for repair costs that exceed $900.00

How do I apply?

  1. Submit your application to the pantry in person or email the application to info@hhfp.org.
  2. Acquire an estimate of repair from a licensed repair facility.
  3. Submit both your application and estimate of repair to the pantry
  4. If funds are available you will receive a response typically within 1 to 2 business days.

If you have other questions please feel free to call the pantry at 248-960-9975 or email us at info@hhfp.org.