Just Harvest Safety Net Access
and Improvement Program

Description:  This investment will expand program capacity in order to help 4,000 low-income residents of Allegheny County gain access to public safety net programs and to engage in broader community outreach and advocacy efforts with government agencies to improve access and lower barriers to participation.    

The Program Serves a Population with Great Needs:  Target populations include single mothers with dependent children and low-income working families throughout Allegheny County.  A large portion of current clients live in Braddock, Homestead, McKeesport, East Liberty, Homewood, Beltzhoover, Wilkinsburg, Penn Hills, and McKees Rocks.

The Program Achieves Measurable Results:  The agency’s seven-year-old Volunteer Tax Preparation Program is one of W PA’s largest.  In 2009, they served more than 1,600 tax clients and brought in more than $1.4 million in total Earned Income Tax Credits.  The agency was selected by United Way to be lead partner in the EITC campaign, and a key technical assistance provider to other tax sites.  Food Stamp enrollment work began in July 2007, and in the first six months the agency processed 168 food stamp applications.  In 2009 they processed 1,520 applications.  Consistent monitoring of outcomes has significantly increased the number of successful applications (58% this year, up from 49% last year).  Just Harvest is working with Carnegie Mellon University and other key stake holders to enable local farmers’ markets to accept electronic benefits, as food stamps are now issued on an electronic debit card.

The Program Applies a Sound Approach:   The agency reaches target populations through grassroots outreach, provides direct service in obtaining public safety net benefits, and identifies common problems experienced by clients as issues to be resolved at the public policy level.  Three of the agency’s full-time staff members, including the new Co-Director, are past recipients of public safety net benefits. 

Alignment with Preferred Outcomes and Likelihood of Community Change:

• 66% of clients will be able to increase household resources as a result of obtaining a new community or public benefit  
• 60% of households will access at least one new public benefit

Community Outcomes:  The agency seeks opportunities where small strategic investments can lead to large scale community impact.  Client data is carefully tracked and used to evaluate internal operations and identify trends and policy issues for advocacy work.  The value of the Earned Income and Child tax credits generated by the agency’s tax assistance programs exceed by ten times the entire cost of the project.  Enrolling a single child in a school lunch and breakfast program provides access to 300+ nutritious meals a year. Enabling a community to launch a new summer food site might account for 1,500 meals in its first summer alone.