Meeting basic needs for hard

For many families, the difference between just getting by and a full-blown crisis can come down to a few essential things like reliable transportation or a place for their children to learn and be safe.

Since 1983, thousands of individuals and families in Eastern Allegheny County have been able to navigate day-to-day challenges thanks to the work of Heritage Community Initiatives. The human services nonprofit is dedicated to making a positive impact on the socioeconomic mobility of families through pragmatic programs in transportation, education and nutrition.

Heritage Community Initiatives operates in 49 greater Pittsburgh neighborhoods where seven out of 10 people served have an annual household income of under $20,000.

The work not only impacts lives. Heritage Community Initiatives also creates societal benefits.

Reliable, fixed-route transportation

To date, Heritage Community Transportation has provided more than 1.5 million rides through its fixed-route transportation service, getting riders to and from jobs, medical appointments and shopping at only 25 cents a ride. Two data points best reveal the need: Nearly eight in 10 riders do not own a vehicle of their own and over 90% have at least one job. This makes affordable, fixed-route transportation the economic lifeblood for these communities.*

Heritage Community Initiatives remains the only human services nonprofit in Pennsylvania designated as a provider of public transportation.*

High-quality education for infants to 8th grade

Every child deserves the opportunity to learn and succeed in life. But for many young learners, the educational landscape is not tilted in their favor. Heritage Community Initiatives has helped level the playing field by providing access to some of the highest-quality, accredited early learning and out-of-school time education programs in Pennsylvania: Heritage 4 Kids and HOST (Heritage Out-of-School Time) programs are designed to give every child the support he or she needs throughout the day from birth through eighth grade.

Currently, more than 300 at-risk children and youth are enrolled in these year-round programs, and demand is forecast to be on the rise in the coming years.

"These are children who are hungry to learn," says Paula G. McWilliams, president and CEO of Heritage Community Initiatives. "Watching them grow and develop skills at such an early age is the most rewarding part of our work."

She notes that eight out of 10 pre-school students meet or exceed standard scores in the areas of vocabulary, reading, math, cognitive and critical thinking skills, as well as social emotional and physical development.

"Our staff is top tier," McWilliams said. "They inspire their imagination and really focus on the whole child, because each child comes to us with his or her own set of needs."

Of the children currently enrolled in the Heritage 4 Kids and HOST programs, 84% live in female-led households. With so many working mothers — sometimes holding down multiple jobs —quality and affordable PreK and out-of-school time programs have proven to be a critical underpinning of economic stability. A recent study by the Learning Policy Institute suggests that every dollar invested in certain preschool programs produce $7.30 in benefits to society from increased earnings and reduced needs for health care and criminal justice.

Third pillar of service: Nutrition

Hunger continues to be one of the most pressing needs in our region with more than one in eight Allegheny County residents facing some form of food insecurity.*

Each year, more than 170,000 meals are served through Heritage Nutrition Services. In addition, they offer professional meal planning, ordering, preparation and delivery services that provide healthy, nutritional options for at-risk children and older adults.

Students — 94% of whom qualify for free or reduced meals — enjoy delicious meals every day prepared mostly "from scratch."

In all, the programs of Heritage Community Initiatives have created measurable impact for the community, multiplying the effect of their donors many times over. For the hard-working family now able to make ends meet and see their young child thrive, the impact is truly immeasurable.

Making sure families have access to the basics helps unlock so many possibilities. Find out more about how you can be a driving force in making a measurable impact on our community. Visit heritageserves.org or call (412) 351-0535.

*According to Heritage Community Initiatives.