“It seems like last year more people were seeking the services,” said Eurana Horton, VITA site coordinator at the Portland Promise Center. “Because I had a lot come through here — and I’m sure Urban League, Americana and all them did too — that had never been here but they needed the service.”
The Louisville Asset Building Coalition said VITA offers free tax prep through trained volunteers to anyone with an annual income under $66,000.
Some sites like the Louisville Urban League are already accepting tax drop-offs. Others, like the Portland Promise Center, aren’t open quite yet but are already taking appointments.
Horton has volunteered for 21 years. She said people who discover the program are thankful.
“They can’t believe it’s free,” Horton said. “And even at the end of it, it’s like, ‘Just say thank you, it’s free.’ It’s very — I’ve had people cry on me.”
The hundreds of dollars potentially saved by not paying to file taxes are a huge relief to some families.
“It’s important because it allows the families to take the money that they would normally be paying to get their taxes and use it for emergency-type expenses, or to save their money or to buy things for their family,” said Earnestine White, director of the Louisville Asset Building Coalition.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created unique relief measures, like the child tax credit for volunteers to process, but Horton said it actually wasn’t difficult to manage.
“At first, I thought it was with all the different stimuluses that we had to report and unemployment taxes being waived and everything,” Horton said. “But it was really easy.”
A new factor this year is a pilot program called “Tax Time Connect.” Financial advocates will be on-hand at VITA sites, helping anyone who needs a bank account to set one up.
“Many of our clients don’t have bank accounts or have had difficulty accessing accounts. So we’re hoping this program will help remove some of those barriers,” said Arnetia Horton, a financial advocate. “They’ll have support, someone right there with them to walk every step of the way. And that’s the role I plan to play, to be there available firsthand to answer those questions they may be nervous about asking someone.”
