Biloxi EITC Coalition: Responding to Disaster

The 2006 tax season was far from ordinary: The hurricane disasters along the Gulf Coast presented new challenges for tax preparers.

In its third tax season, the Biloxi EITC Coalition recently had changed its lead agency to Mercy Housing and Human Development, located in Gulfport, Mississippi. Gulfport was hit hard by the hurricanes, as were five tax sites. Four were flooded. One of those sites was preserved through repair and another was relocated; the other two were damaged beyond repair. The fifth was lost as a result of employees leaving the site. Despite the difficulties, the coalition still completed more tax returns than the previous year.

Much of the coalition’s success can be attributed to grants from the Knight Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater Jackson Mississippi, and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).

Also helpful, some sites under the Biloxi EITC Coalition umbrella changed their marketing strategy to reach more individuals in the area. One put out a television ad in conjunction with the National Community Tax Coalition, resulting in completion of 250 tax returns. Jan Lukens predicts the site will complete 300 returns by the end of the tax season, a dramatic improvement from last year‘s 100 returns. Also, with the help of the NCTC and the IRS, the Biloxi EITC Coalition was able to train nearly 80 volunteers—including all returning volunteers and approximately 40 new volunteers, though many had suffered property damage and/or loss as a result of the hurricanes, as well.

Despite the hard times, everyone pulled together to help free tax preparation succeed. The effort was particularly important because so many who suffered losses already had very little income. If those individuals owed money on their tax returns, it would have been like experiencing a second disaster. Instead, the Biloxi EITC Coalition worked hard to be successful and will continue in the future.