HUD and IRS Partner to Help Low-Income in Erie and Niagara Counties

HUD's Buffalo office and the local Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have launched a joint effort to help thousands of low-income seniors and working families in the Erie/Niagara region save thousands of dollars on their annual income taxes. This initiative is an outgrowth of a national HUD/ IRS Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to increase low-income working family access to tax credits and free tax preparation assistance using IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Programs. The local partnership will:

• Help low-income and elderly persons gain access to free tax preparation assistance;
• Provide and disseminate information on Earned Income Tax Credits, Child Care Tax Credits and Individual Development Accounts to eligible low- and moderate-income families; and,
• Educate the public on how tax credits can be used to build assets.

"It should provide an immediate benefit to many low-income families, especially working families in shelters and public housing" says Stephen Banko, HUD's Buffalo Office Manager.

Last year, 21 million families with two or more children qualified for the Earned Income Tax Credit, providing tax refunds of up to $4,300. IRS studies indicate millions more families are eligible for this tax credit but fail to claim it.

2005 "SUPER SATURDAY" FREE Tax Preparation Assistance

Every Saturday through April 9th, free tax assistance is available at these "Super Saturday" sites:

• DELAVAN-GRIDER COMMUNITY CENTER
  877 E. DELAVAN AVE., BUFFALO
  (716) 896-7021

• BUFFALO FEDERATION OF NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS, INC.
  TRI-MAIN BUILDING, SUITE 534
  2495 MAIN ST., BUFFALO
  (716) 853-0600

• FIRST SHILOH BAPTIST CHURCH 15 PINE ST., BUFFALO
  (716) 847-6555

• NORTHWEST BUFFALO COMMUNITY CENTER
  155 LAWN AVENUE, BUFFALO
  (716) 876-8108 Ext. 10

• TOSH COLLINS COMMUNITY CENTER
  35 CAZENOVIA ST., BUFFALO
  (716) 828-1093
  

Open 9am to 3pm.
No appointment necessary.

For information including contacts, hours, and directions to VITA tax assistance sites, call central referral service at (716) 851-5555, or log on to United Way's (www.uwbec.org) local website.