Prairie Hills Transit
In 2015 we began providing service for a young lady, Jane, who is supported by Black Hills Special Services, Inc. In her early childhood both she and her brother were enrolled at BHSSC while they were in foster care. Eventually, her brother moved to another community. Currently, she is able to live independently and uses the bus nearly every day to go to the bank, grocery store, her mental health counselor, and the veterinarian for her guinea pigs. When one of the guinea pigs passed away, she asked us to take her to a friend’s house so the guinea pig could be buried. Her brother recently lost his life in a tragic car/pedestrian accident, and her mother moved to Sturgis. Her mother is also a rider using PHT to get to her appointments and other locations she needs to go to. While Jane continues to be supported by BHSSC she can live independently and complete activities of daily living on her own. The Women's Shelter in Sturgis frequently uses PHT for the moms to get to work and the children to get to school. At times, we are the source of the trip from the Women's Shelter to a new start for Mom and the children. This allows anonymity for this family unit and gives them transportation to the locations they need to go to which allows independence to begin to return for them.