SingleStop USA

Heckscher’s Single Stop USA/Community College Initiative is designed to expand opportunities for youth to earn college degrees by connecting them to the government funds and services for which they are eligible. A model program was implemented with Foundation support at Kingsborough Community College to help low-income, high-need students draw down untapped benefits such as food stamps, health care, child care and tax credits – because access to basic resources increases the likelihood that a young person will be able to stay in college and obtain a degree, leading to higher earning potential.

Community Colleges serve more than 11 million students every year. More than half of low-income students begin their postsecondary education at a community college. For many they are the best opportunity for earning a degree necessary for a good job in today’s economy or going onto a four year college. Employees with higher education are more likely to be engaged in their communities, more productive and they earn more than those who only graduated from high school. Nationwide, six years after starting at a two-year institution, nearly half of all students (46 percent) drop out without attaining a degree. Only 31 percent of community college students who set out to earn a degree actually complete it. But the low retention and completion rates are not surprising given the many obstacles students confront.

The objective of Single Stop is straightforward – by providing Single Stop services (free tax preparation services, full benefits access, comprehensive legal services and financial counseling) at community colleges to students and student households in need, the percentage of those able to stay on through completion (currently below 40 percent nationally) can be dramatically increased. In 2011, in addition to obtaining other benefits, Single Stop filed taxes for 760 Kingsborough students, surpassing their goal of 550 students. Kingsborough’s students received a total refund amount of $1,275,927 in 2011 and each student received an average refund amount of $1,857.

Leveraging our founding support and the program’s results at Kingsborough, SingleStop is now working at CUNY campuses and individual community colleges. Also, SingleStop has been building system-wide collaborations Trustees, the City College of San Francisco, and Miami Dade College; the largest educational institution in the United States.