Boston EITC Coalition
Boston, MA. February, 2010.
History
Spearheaded by the Office of Mayor Thomas Menino, the Boston Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Coalition is a partnership of nonprofits, businesses and community organizations that promote the economic independence of working individuals and families.
The Coalition's campaign to advocate for low and moderate income workers began in 2001, when free tax preparation services were provided to a few hundred residents. Now serving over 12,000 taxpayers each year, Coalition sites and volunteers have returned a total of $83.4 million in federal refunds to Boston families. The Coalition operates 28 free tax sites throughout Boston neighborhoods, some of which also provide additional financial services such as credit advising, financial coaching and benefits enrollment.
An Ambassador for Diversity
One of the many unique qualities of the Boston EITC Coalition is its commitment to providing free tax preparation and asset building services to Boston’s immigrant population. The EITC Campaign’s Ambassador Program was created in 2005 to address the significant number of eligible immigrants who were not utilizing the full potential of the EITC. Through 8 community leaders called “Ambassadors”, the Coalition is able to build new partnerships with immigrant leaders and organizations; inform taxpayers about the Coalition’s tax services, recruit bilingual volunteers; and provide translation support at the its tax sites. Each Ambassador is fluent in English and one of 7 languages: Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese and Cape Verdean Creole. Ambassadors are also certified tax preparation volunteers and provide intake, screening and asset building services at the Coalition’s tax sites.
Ensuring Financial Health for all Boston Residents
Over thirty partners strong, the Boston EITC Coalition is finding
ways to provide more services to the taxpayers it serves. This year,
the Boston EITC Coalition will be partnering with the Living Cities to
focus on year-round financial services for its taxpayers. Launched in
October 2009, this initiative, Strengthen Your Financial Future, has
served over 100 people through twenty-five financial coaches. Each
client has the opportunity to attend nine one-on-one sessions focusing
on financial education, budgeting strategies, credit reporting and more.
With the support of its partners, sponsors and volunteers, the Coalition is continually increasing its capacity to offer financial services to taxpayers during tax season as well as to advocate for the long-term financial health of all Boston residents.
The Boston EITC Coalition is a great example of how local government, businesses and nonprofits can work together to make a difference in a diverse community.
