Harford County’s New Wheels for Work Program Will Help Clients Get and Keep Jobs—Moving Them Toward Independence

– Harford County Wheels for Work, a new program created through a grant from the Dresher Foundation, will provide cars and bus transportation to the clients of Anna’s House, Harford Family House, SARC and the Homecoming Project, residential programs for people in crisis in Harford County.

The cars will be available through a partnership with Vehicles for Change, a Maryland based organization that repairs donated cars and sells them at a significantly reduced price to qualifying low-income individuals and families, regardless of their credit, to maintain or gain employment. 

Through the Dresher grant, clients in the programs will have the cars paid for in part, and can participate in financial literacy training, and a savings plan through the Harford Community Action Agency, to prepare them for the cost of car ownership.

Buses currently owned by Harford Family House and Anna’s House, will be used to transport clients to 3-11pm and 11pm-7am shift work at local warehouses who schedule work around the clock.  These jobs are not currently feasible for the programs’ clients due to lack of transportation at those hours.

Harford Family House is the lead agency for Harford County Wheels for Work, and will have a dedicated staff member to coordinate client participation, schedule and recruit volunteer drivers and help raise awareness and additional funding for the project.

The Community can support the Wheels for Work program by donating cars to Vehicles for Change, to be credited to the Harford County Wheels for Work program.  VFC will arrange to pick-up the vehicle and issue appropriate tax deduction information.  Depending on the use of the donated vehicle, it could offer a tax deduction for the fair market value of the vehicle, if used to help a family in need.

This valuation is explained in IRS publication JS-2484 and provides the specifics pertaining to fair market valuation.  Donations are a line item amount not a tax credit.

Joyce Duffy, Executive Director/CEO of Harford Family House said “Transportation has been a tremendous barrier to moving homeless individuals forward through securing work.  This program opens the door to independence to the people who need it the most”.

For more information, please contact Joyce Duffy, Executive Director/CEO of Harford Family House at 410-273-6700 or by email at jduffy@harfordfamilyhouse.org.

To donate a car to the credit of The Harford County Wheels for Work program visit www.vehiclesforchange.org or call Vehicles for Change at 1-800-835-3821 and be sure to mention the Harford County Wheels for Work program.

About Vehicles for Change, Inc.:

Vehicles for Change, a nonprofit organization committed to selling refurbished cars to low-income families at minimal cost, was founded in 1999. Since its formation, Vehicles for Change has impacted the lives of more than 14,000 individuals by awarding more than 4,000 cars to low-income families in Maryland, Washington and Virginia. There are more than 81,000 low-income households without a car in the Baltimore metro area.