CASH Coalition of Chittenden County

During a tax season in which many programs saw a decline in taxpayers served, the CASH Coalition of Chittenden County, Vermont increased their numbers by over 20% from last year. They attribute this to an increase in volunteers (especially students), longer hours of service, and more “mobile tax sites”, which were offered at large employers, the local community college and a low-income housing development.

Close Coalition

The CASH (Creating Assets Savings and Hope) Coalition of Chittenden County, begun in 2003, is a coalition that meet monthly to carry out their mission of “helping low- to moderate-income Vermonters achieve their financial goals through asset building opportunities and free tax preparation services.” The Coalition supports the three Chittenden County VITA sites, which are operated by coalition members Casey Family Services, Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity and the City of Burlington Department of Community and Economic Development. 

While each coalition partner runs its own tax sites, all volunteer recruitment and training is undertaken together, and all tax appointments are made through United Way’s  211 service.  This year, the coalition was also able to hire an AmeriCorps VISTA to oversee coalition activities and to coordinate volunteer recruitment and training for the VITA sites. 

At the annual Rural Family Economic Success Institute sponsored by the Annie E.  Casey Foundation, coalition members also meet up with teams from New Hampshire and Maine with which they exchange information on VITA sites and asset building.

Casey Family Services

As Community Liaison with Casey Family Services in Winooski, Vermont, Robyn Bahar helped create their free tax preparation service in 2004.

Casey Family Services is the direct service agency of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Foundation believes that the children in greatest trouble in America today are those whose parents lack the earnings, assets, services or social support systems required to consistently meet their families’ needs. 

The Foundation is working to help these isolated families secure adequate incomes, stabilize their finances, accumulate savings and live in vibrant, economically viable neighborhoods through an approach known as building family economic success. Supporting the VITA initiative in each of its divisions is one way Casey Family Services is working to assist families to achieve financial stability.

College Students Make Great Volunteers

This year the coalition sites increased their numbers by over 20%, preparing 1446 returns. Students from 3 area colleges provided much of the capacity for this increase. After initiating a partnership with the internship coordinator at St Michael’s College in Burlington, accounting students began helping at VITA sites in 2008. By 2009, word had spread among the students of the great hands-on learning experience, and many more showed up. As well as 9 interns from St Michael’s College this year, Champlain College sent over 30 students who get received credit for their work at tax sites, and the University of Vermont Accounting Club has taken on VITA as a service project.

Students make excellent volunteers according to Robyn. Their tax classes at college provide a good foundation of tax knowledge; they are very invested because many want to do work professionally with taxes; and they are ready to learn from mistakes. Because college requires them to complete a set number of hours, they become the backbone of the volunteer corps.

Year Round Services

Credit Review Days are offered twice-yearly outside of the tax season.  Many of the clients on the mailing list are from the free tax preparation services. Last week, 10 counselors from area agencies donated their time to assist 30 clients. They pulled credit reports and credit scores, explained them and advised clients on ways to improve credit. In addition, they connected the taxpayers to area resources to follow up on credit building and other asset building programs.

Going to the Taxpayers

Since 2009, the CASH Coalition has operated mobile tax sites. Local United Way funds an employer-based initiative in which area employers study the Bridges out of Poverty curriculum and incorporate its ideas into their workplace. Some of these employers have hosted mobile VITA site at their workplace. Workers can come off the factory floor to get taxes done, then return to work. Coalition partners also take the mobile service to outlying areas of county, using local resources like family centers as their base. Other mobile site locations have included the local community college and a low-income housing development.

A Change in Savings Behavior

For several years, the CASH Coalition has experimented with connecting asset building to free tax preparation. As part of the D2D savings bond pilot, the Coalition was able to offer clients the ability to purchase savings bonds for loved ones in addition to the option of purchasing them for themselves using the tax return form. Clients were also able to open no-fee savings accounts on-site through a local credit union with part of their refund. This year, the Coalition offered incentives of gas or grocery cards, funded by local banks, to clients who chose to open a savings account or purchase a bond. 

At the start of the tax season, Robyn was skeptical that they would get many clients to save  due to the recession, so was excited when they opened more savings accounts and sold more savings bonds than ever. She believes that people may be starting to realize how important savings are. One man put his entire refund into savings bonds, saying “I really have to start saving now!” This year, CASH Coalition clients were able to save $9800 with the purchase of 41 bonds and $14,629 was deposited into 11 new savings accounts.