Community members, government officials, employees, and supporters gathered at 1428 Madison Ave. in Covington last week to celebrate the grand opening of the new headquarters of the Samaritan Car Care Clinic (SCCC) with an official ribbon cutting.
SCCC is a one-of-a-kind non-profit vehicle repair shop in Northern Kentucky dedicated to addressing transportation barriers to self-sufficiency in the community.
The Clinic started as an all-volunteer program offering basic maintenance on 16 cars per quarter. In recent years, it has grown to provide shared-cost vehicle repair services for low-income individuals and families.
In 2022, SCCC served 315 families at an average repair cost of $1,400 per vehicle.
The new facility furthers the clinic’s work through a new social enterprise model that provides long-term sustainability. Corporex, a national, privately held real estate investment and development firm based in Covington, donated the land for the project, and The Catalytic Fund financed the building’s construction.
“We are ready to expand the Samaritan Car Care Clinic’s services to serve more members of the community,” said Bruce Kintner, director and founder of the Samaritan Car Care Clinic. “The clinic is a one-of-a-kind organization in Northern Kentucky geared toward addressing transportation barriers for many people in our community. One of those barriers is transportation, which can impact our customers from keeping jobs, getting children to school or childcare and more.”
The Clinic is also collaborating with Gateway Community & Technical College to train new mechanics for the workforce and partnering with St. Vincent de Paul Northern Kentucky (SVDPNKY) to provide access to safe vehicles at affordable rates. At the same time, drivers build credit through SVDPNKY’s microloan program.
Others who joined Kintner at the ribbon cutting and open house Wednesday included Amanda Mills, a clinic client, Alecia Webb-Edgington, president of Life Learning Center, Melissa Hall Sommer, vice president of Brighton Center, and Bernie McKay, president and CEO of the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile J. Foundation.
“The expanded services the new headquarters of the Samaritan Car Care Clinic offers not only provide more low-income individuals in Northern Kentucky with the keys to a vehicle and repairs they may not otherwise be able afford, but also gives them the keys to mobility and expanded opportunities in our region,” said Webb-Edington.
For more information about SCCC, visit samaritancarcare.org.
