Based in Boston, the LIFT Bike Project is an organization seeking to address issues of transportation access among those who lack it through donated refurbished bicycles. The LIFT Bike Project is an “earn-a-bike” program that provides homeless and low-income individuals living in the Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston areas with free helmets, locks, and refurbished bicycles. Clients earn their bike
s by volunteering for at least 10 hours and attending a mandatory bike safety session. The LIFT Bike Project is a branch of a larger organization called LIFT, a nonprofit which helps combat poverty by pairing trained volunteers with homeless and low-income clients. LIFT volunteers work one-on-one with clients on a variety of services, including finding employment and securing safe, stable housing. (Learn more at www.liftcommunities.org). During her years volunteering at LIFT, Liz noticed that many of her clients could not access existing social services or travel to job interviews because they could not afford to take the T. She created the LIFT Bike Project to help fill the gap in social services for transportation in the Boston area. To date, 80 individuals have earned bikes, helmets, and locks through the LIFT Bike Project. Clients have reported that receiving a bike has helped them get back on their feet, commute to new jobs, and exercise more often. We are continuing to grow, and a total of 150 individuals will have earned bikes, helmets and locks by the summer of 2013. In exchange for these bikes, recipients will have donated more than 1,500 hours of volunteering in our community. All 150 individuals will have received bike safety education. These 150 bikes will help low-income community members work towards their goals of securing housing, finding employment, and leading a healthier life.
