UCHRA

What UCHRA does

Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency (UCHRA) is a private nonprofit government agency established by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1973 to serve as the statutory delivery system for human resource services across the 14-county Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee. The agency operates 35+ programs organized across Community Services (LIHEAP, Weatherization Assistance, Commodities, HouseCall home repair, Senior Community Service Employment, Head Start), Community Intervention (Community Corrections, CHANCE Group Home for Girls, Day Reporting Centers, DUI Corrective Education), Public Transportation, UC Recovery, Youth Programs, and the Empower Upper Cumberland poverty-alleviation initiative. UCHRA's public transportation program is the largest rural transit system in Tennessee, operating approximately 110 buses and 140 drivers with around $10 million in funding, delivering 259,000+ trips and 2.5 million miles annually. Services are funded almost entirely through federal, state, and local government grants, including pass-throughs from the US Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Department of Transportation (Sections 5311/5339/5310 and the IMPROVE program), Tennessee Housing Development Agency (LIHEAP), and Tennessee Department of Human Services (TANF).

The agency's core technology stack is modest and partnership-dependent: the Pick-Up Upper Cumberland on-demand service runs on a mobile app powered by Uber Technologies through a Routematch platform for ride scheduling, real-time tracking, and payment. Fixed-route services (Go Routes in Algood, Cookeville, Crossville, and McMinnville) are fare-free as of July 2024, while in-county trips are a flat $2 each way and Pick Up Cookeville on-demand rides are $6 each. Distribution is delivered through local offices in all 14 counties, a fleet of vehicles providing door-to-door service, monthly commodities distribution events rotating across the region, and digital channels including the uchra.org website and active social media presence. Head Start operations include the Van Buren County Head Start facility, which is NAEYC-accredited.

UCHRA's go-to-market is community-led rather than commercial: services reach end users through word-of-mouth, county government channels, nonprofit partnerships, and local media engagement. There is no venture capital, private equity, or public-market ownership; the organization is governed by a 19-member Policy Council and reports to the Upper Cumberland Development District as its administrative parent. Customer segments include low-income individuals and families (primary), seniors, individuals with disabilities, veterans, individuals in addiction recovery, justice-involved individuals, and children and families in Head Start. UCHRA delivered more than 1 million units of service in the most recent reported year and targets lifting 1,600 children and families out of generational poverty by 2025 through the Empower Upper Cumberland initiative.

Name

UCHRA

Legal name

Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency

Website

https://uchra.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency (UCHRA) is a nonprofit government agency delivering public transportation, energy assistance, recovery services, Head Start, and community programs across 14 counties in rural Tennessee, serving vulnerable residents through 35+ programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services and Public Transportation

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food Services (62421), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Transportation-Integrated Adult Day Programs (Day Program + Non-Emergency Transport) (HLADAIAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Transportation Demand Management (TDM) & Commute Programs (EDALAKAJ), Public & Affordable Housing Programs (Subsidies, Vouchers, Public Housing) (BPAIANAA), Substance Use Prevention & Student Assistance Programs (School-Based) (EDAKAMAJ)

Keywords

• Rural public transportation
• Community social services
• Human resource agency
• Energy assistance programs
• Addiction recovery services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cookeville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Funding: UCHRA is a government human resource agency established by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1973. The organization receives funding from federal, state, and local organizations including the US Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Department of Labor, and other government sources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

UCHRA is a government-established nonprofit human resource agency that delivers public transportation (fixed routes, on-demand rides, door-to-door service) and a broad portfolio of social services across all 14 counties of the Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee. Programs include energy assistance (LIHEAP, Weatherization), food commodities distribution, Head Start early childhood education, addiction recovery coordination (UC Recovery), community corrections and intervention, youth programs, driver education, and home repair services (HouseCall).

Product overview

UCHRA (Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency) is a government nonprofit established in 1973 by the Tennessee General Assembly to serve as the delivery system for human resources in the fourteen counties of the Upper Cumberland region. The agency operates a portfolio of more than 35 programs offering social services and public transportation. The core offerings include Public Transportation (with Go Routes, Pick-Up Upper Cumberland on-demand service, and intercity routes), Community Services (encompassing LIHEAP, Weatherization, Commodities, HouseCall home repairs, and senior employment), UC Recovery (addiction recovery coordination hub), Community Intervention (corrections, Day Reporting Centers, CHANCE Group Home), Driver's Education, Youth Programs, Empower Upper Cumberland (poverty alleviation initiative), and Van Buren County Head Start (early childhood education). These programs collectively delivered more than one million units of service last year across all 14 counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pick-Up Upper Cumberland: On-demand public transportation service available via mobile app for the Upper Cumberland region
• UC Recovery
• Empower Upper Cumberland
• HouseCall

Products and services

• Public Transportation Public transit services providing safe, affordable, and dependable transportation to residents of all ages in the 14-county Upper Cumberland area of Tennessee. Services include local fixed routes, routes to major cities, group trips, and door-to-door service.
• Community Services Administers programs assisting low-income and vulnerable populations including LIHEAP, Weatherization Assistance, Child & Adult Care Food Program, HouseCall Home Repair Services, Senior Community Service Employment Program, CREST, CREVAA, Social Services Block Grant, and Home & Community Services.
• Community Intervention Programs targeting community opportunities to improve quality of life including Community Corrections, CHANCE Group Home for Girls, Day Reporting Centers, Driver Education and DUI Corrective Education, and Juvenile Community Intervention.
• UC Recovery Hub for centralized coordination of addiction recovery services, connecting individuals with treatment, housing, transportation, jobs, and education support.
• Driver's Education Comprehensive driver education program covering traffic laws in Tennessee. Multi-week courses available for student drivers.
• UCHRA Youth Programs Programs designed for youth development and support in the Upper Cumberland region.
• Empower Upper Cumberland Poverty alleviation initiative forged from region-wide mission to lift children and families out of generational poverty. Core objective of lifting 1,600 children and families out of generational poverty by 2025. Part of TANF Opportunity Act collaboration.
• Van Buren County Head Start Federally-funded early childhood program helping high-risk children from low-income families through comprehensive services including early childhood education, parent education, and community service. NAEYC nationally accredited Three-Star Facility.
• Commodities Program Distributes non-perishable food items to low-income families across the 14-county region. Funded by USDA through Tennessee Department of Agriculture and TEFAP.
• HouseCall Home Repair Services Home repair services program under Community Services, providing assistance to vulnerable populations with housing needs.
• Pick-Up Upper Cumberland On-demand transit service allowing riders to schedule rides via mobile app, track trips in real-time, and pay seamlessly from their phone. Originally launched as Pick Up Cookeville powered by Uber.
• Go Routes Fare-free fixed bus routes operating in Algood, Cookeville, Crossville, and McMinnville.

Quantifiable outcome

• 259,000+ trips provided annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and strategic.

• Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 September 2021Local chamber partnership for Pick Up Cookeville ribbon cutting ceremony and community launch event.
• Uber TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationUber Technologies powers the Pick Up Cookeville on-demand transportation service through a partnership with Routematch, providing mobile app technology for ride scheduling, real-time tracking, and seamless payment.
• RoutematchcoreTechnology or IntegrationRoutematch provides the technology platform for the Pick Up Cookeville on-demand service integrated with Uber.
• Tennessee Tech UniversitystrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop an electrical vehicle testbed in the 14-county Upper Cumberland region. An all-electric E-450 shuttle bus will be operated by UCHRA as part of the project, first serving TTU campus and downtown Cookeville.
• Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network (TSPN)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to promote the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. UCHRA's public transportation vehicles display the 988 lifeline information - the first public transportation vehicles in Tennessee to feature this information.
• CASA of Tennessee ValleyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCHRA's Executive Committee voted to transfer administrative oversight of its CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) program to CASA of Tennessee Valley as of October 1, 2023.
• Upper Cumberland Development District (UCDD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCDD is the administrative parent organization for UCHRA. UCHRA sites are administered by UCDD and meetings are held at UCDD facilities.
• Tennessee Public Transportation Association (TPTA)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association that holds annual conferences, roadeo competitions, and awards programs. UCHRA Public Transportation regularly participates and wins awards.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• TransLoc: Fixed-route and microtransit technology vendor widely used by U.S. rural and small-city transit agencies — a substitute/expansion option for the routing and rider-app functionality underpinning Pick-Up Upper Cumberland.
• Uber: Existing technology partner powering UCHRA's Pick-Up Cookeville service and a potential substitute competitor if Uber deepens its rural Tennessee coverage with UberX or Uber Transit products.
• Via Transportation: Established on-demand transit/microtransit software provider serving dozens of U.S. cities and rural regions; competes for the same microtransit technology budgets that UCHRA is currently spending with Uber/Routematch.

Direct peers

• Southwest Tennessee Human Resource Agency: Southwest TN HRA — the fifth of Tennessee's regional human resource agencies — running parallel rural transit, aging, and community programs under the same Development District framework.
• Mid-Cumberland Human Resource Agency: Tennessee's parallel regional human resource agency serving a multi-county area with an identical mix of public transit, community services, and Head Start — the closest operational analog to UCHRA among TN's nine Development Districts.
• East Tennessee Human Resource Agency: Another of Tennessee's regional HRAs delivering rural transit, aging services, community action programs, and workforce supports across multiple East Tennessee counties under the same statutory framework as UCHRA.
• Northwest Tennessee Human Resource Agency: Northwest TN HRA operating rural transit and community service programs over a multi-county region with the same statutory role and grant-funding model that UCHRA discharges in the Upper Cumberland.
• Southeast Tennessee Human Resource Agency: Southeast TN HRA providing rural public transportation and human services across an 11-county region — directly comparable in mission, funding mix (TDOT, USDA, THDA), and portfolio breadth.

Emerging players

• Feonix – Mobility Rising: Nonprofit focused on rural and underserved mobility, partnering with health and human service agencies to deploy ride programs — shares UCHRA's mission of using transit to improve outcomes for vulnerable rural populations.

Others

• Community Action Partnership: National membership and advocacy organization for the 1,000+ Community Action Agencies like UCHRA — provides funding navigation, peer benchmarking, and policy representation directly relevant to UCHRA's federal funding strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ucddanduchra
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCrzPu5Zdty59mterUVOFF7Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/uchumanresourceagency
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uchra
• Instagraminstagram.com/ucddanduchra/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UCHRA