Report - United Way Community Report

OUR WORK
FREE TAX PREP
HELPS FAMILIES THRIVE
SHARNICE’S STORY
With multiple jobs, a car that won’t
run, and two daughters with big
plans, single mother Sharnice
Brooks was stretched thin. She
works as a teacher during the
week and security guard on the
weekends. Sharnice puts in long
hours so her daughters, 11-yearold
Taj and one-year-old Ryleigh,
can have a better life.
“Being a mom of two can be expensive,
especially when I do everything on my
own, but it’s a blessing. My kids are a
blessing,” said Sharnice.
Taking an Uber to work across town was
draining her bank account. Sharnice
deserved a break, and thanks to United
Way’s free income tax preparation, she
got one.
Sharnice’s tax refund was 40%
higher than the year before.
And that’s not uncommon. With her
$7,000 return, Sharnice is fixing her car
and paying for ballet lessons for Taj,
who dreams of becoming a professional
ballerina.
United Way is doing this work
because we know it helps break a
cycle of debt.
When you’re living close to the edge, the
most important thing you can have is
that chunk of change to fix the car, pay
an overdue utility bill, or gather the first
and last months of rent and security
deposit to find a better place to live.
That’s what free tax preparation does.
We help people find credits they didn’t
know existed.
There are more than a dozen free
tax preparation sites in greater
New Haven that help families get
as much money back as possible.
United Way recruits volunteers for VITA
(Volunteer Income Tax Assistance). We
help them get certified by the IRS, and
then United Way promotes the program
in the community.
Responding to
community need, United Way supported
two additional sites this tax season: one
in Hamden and one at LULAC Head Start
in New Haven, where Sharnice teaches.
Sharnice is one of 4,503 people who
filed their taxes through VITA this year
in greater New Haven. That adds up
to $7,007,539 returned to our region
through this program.
Thanks to United Way, Sharnice is now
able to invest her tax return in her family
and the car that gets her to work. We
know our region needs even more VITA
sites, and with your support we could
help more people like Sharnice get the
money they deserve.
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