Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc.

Tri-Valley Transportation also known as T.H.E. Bus (Tri-Valley Heartland Express) is a division of Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. Tri-Valley is a community action agency serving citizens since 1965 and an Affirmative Action / Americans with Disabilities / Equal Opportunity Corporation.

T.H.E. Bus is a curb to curb service and provides public transportation services to the general public in eight Minnesota counties, Polk, Red Lake, Norman, Marshall, Kittson, Pennington, Mahnomen, and Clearwater. Buses run through these counties on various days with various destinations. Our public transit buses are available with no age limits or income guidelines.

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. is the sponsoring agency for two Senior Programs; the Foster Grandparent (FG), and Caring Companion (CC) programs. Our goal is to promote independence and enhance the dignity of older and disabled persons and their families through a community-based system of opportunities and services.

Foster Grandparent volunteers share their experiences and talents to improve the lives of children in need. You can help children develop the skills, confidence, and strength to succeed in life. Foster Grandparents make their neighborhoods stronger by helping children with special/exceptional needs achieve their goals.

You have the experience, wisdom, and know how to make a difference in your community. The Caring Companion Program (CCP) of northwest Minnesota needs your help. We will match you with seniors who are in need of assistance to remain living in their own homes

Known locally as fuel assistance, this program helps income eligible households with their home energy bills. Assistance may include bill payment assistance, emergency assistance and energy related home repairs – fixing or replacing furnaces for those families that own their home. Any Minnesota resident may apply for the program from October 1, to May 31 of the following year.

Emergency Services may provide direct financial services for persons who are homeless or threatened with homelessness.
Direct financial assistance my include:

rent eviction
foreclosure
utility disconnection
security deposits
1st months rent
rent subsidies

Minimal assistance is also available for food, child care, transportation and work clothing and supplies. The purpose of these programs is to stabilize families in their home or re-house families that are homeless.

Eligibility varies, depending on the specific program.

The households must complete an application in person or over the phone. The application is then submitted to a review committee to determine if assistance is granted. We have offices in East Grand Forks and Crookston. Please contact us for appointment at 1-800-201-3475.

For more than 40 years, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has served as the foundation of America’s national nutrition safety net. It is the nation’s first line of defense against hunger and offers a powerful tool to improve nutrition among low-income people. In fiscal year 2011, SNAP served nearly 45 million people, about one in seven Americans. Over the course of four decades, researchers and analysts—inside government and out—have built a substantial body of evidence that SNAP makes an important difference in the lives of low-income people.

MNsure is a one-stop health insurance marketplace where individuals, families and small businesses will be able to get quality health coverage at a fair price. MNsure will empower more than 1 million Minnesotans to compare, choose, and get help finding health care coverage. It will facilitate enrollment in public and private health insurance, determine eligibility for premium tax credits and allow Minnesotans to shop and compare between health care coverage options.

Tri-Valley offers information and assistance to help clients achieve financial stability by providing the Family Assets for Independence in Minnesota (FAIM) program and variety of financial trainings based on the Four Cornerstones of Financial Literacy and Your Money Your Goals curriculum. FAIM programs are matched savings project to help Minnesota low-wage earners build assets through the purchase of a home, pursuit of higher education, or launching of a small business.

Rural Transportation Collaborative (RTC) is a division of the Tri-Valley Public Transportation Department for Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc.

RTC is a partnership program that coordinates volunteer drivers to transport those who have no other means of transportation or cannot drive. The RTC drivers donate their time and are reimbursed the IRS rate per mile they drive to cover the expenses they occur while on the road (gas, car maintenance, insurance, etc.)

RTC is a curb to curb, mileage based public transportation volunteer driver program. People are transported for medical, dental, court, visitations and other approved purposes. RTC volunteer drivers are available seven days a week with extended hours.

The core service area is Polk, Red Lake, Pennington, Norman, Mahnomen, Marshall and Kittson counties. We have working agreements with multiple other counties and have provided transportation to customers that have appointments as far as Minneapolis, Rochester as well as many North Dakota destinations.