HCAA Awarded Grant to Expand Outreach to Harford Community College Students

Harford Community Action Agency (HCAA) was awarded a $33,000 grant from the State of Maryland to expand outreach to and engagement with Harford Community College students. The grant provides HCAA resources to expand the Assisting Students to Reach Opportunities and Success (ASTROS) program on-site at the College. The ASTROS program is the result of a collaboration between HCAA and the College to ensure that all students who are experiencing hardships can receive assistance in having their housing, food, energy/heating, budget, and family counseling needs met.

Funds will be available to the HCAA from September 2022 through June 2023. HCAA will use the funds to employ a staff member to be on Harford’s campus every other week to meet with students and offer HCAA services to them.  Services include Water and Sewage Emergency Assistance Program, Maryland Energy Assistance Program, Homeless Prevention, Eviction Prevention, Homeless Services, Community Food Pantry, Community Case Management, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enrollment. HCAA can also offer temporary rental assistance and, through a generous donation, has assistance available to help students with barriers such as phone bills and certain car repairs necessary for travel to and from campus.

The grant also allows the designated HCAA employee to connect students to HCAA resources as requests come in through the newly created Request for Wellness & Community Resources Form that the College’s Student Intervention Team made available to students in the Student Support tab in OwlNet, the College’s intranet portal. Should a student have a need arise when the HCAA representative is not on campus, the student can indicate their need on the request form and receive immediate assistance follow-up by a designated HCAA representative.

In addition to the services provided by the Harford Community Action Agency, the College has other supports available to students, including reduced price bus tickets offered through Harford’s partnership with Harford Transit and on-site counseling on Tuesdays and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Department of Social Services is on campus once a month and can provide such supports to eligible students as Supplemental Nutritional Assistance (SNAP), Temporary Cash Assistance, Transportation Assistance, a Childcare Scholarship, and Medical Assistance.

There is also an on-site Food Pantry in the Office of Student Life located in the Student Center.

The Harford Community College Foundation has limited funds available to currently enrolled Harford Community College students who are facing short-term emergencies.

All these services and more are included in the Student Support tab in OwlNet and can be accessed for students by completing the Request for Wellness & Community Resources Form.