MILWAUKEE—January 2016—The Social Development Commission (SDC) received a $31,000 grant from the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program operated by SDC.
The grant enabled SDC to come closer to its goal of $82,000 and secure matching funds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
These funds will allow the SDC to provide the same level of service to low-income residents of Milwaukee County as it did for the 2014-15 tax season.
The VITA program provides free federal and state tax preparation and filing services for individuals with a household income of $56,000 or less.
Preparation and filing are only one component of VITA. Clients served by the program have the opportunity to participate in financial workshops, meet with financial institutions to open new bank accounts, and reconnect with the traditional banking community and their services.
Since SDC began operating VITA in the 2001-02 tax season, 162,844 tax returns have been filed with more than $174 million dollars returned to the Milwaukee economy.
SDC projects it will provide free tax return preparation and filing to 8,000 individuals during the 2015-16 season.
“Learning of the grant from United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County was a magnificent holiday gift to SDC and the individuals and families that rely on the VITA tax program,” said SDC CEO George Hinton.
“United Way’s support means we can maximize our VITA operations and help thousands of program participants save hundreds of dollars which they can use for bills or to purchase food for their families.”
“Part of United Way’s mission is to mobilize people and resources to change lives and improve our community.” said Nicole Angresano, Vice President of Community Impact for United Way.
“We were honored to assist the Social Development Commission with the resources needed to continue this vital service to help local families.”
“We are thrilled with United Way’s support,” said SDC’s Asset Development Manager LaToya Jones.
“The monies they provided helped us meet the requirements to receive matching funds for VITA.
We do, however, still need financial support from the community in order to meet our operations budget.”
The 2015-16 VITA program will kick-off Tuesday, January 19 and continue through Monday, April 18. Finalized locations and hours will be available on the SDC website, www.crsdc.org, in mid-January.
About the Social Development Commission: For more than 50 years, the Social Development Commission has operated as the Community Action Agency for Milwaukee County.
SDC serves as a planner, coordinator, and provider of human service programs for low-income individuals and families residing in Milwaukee County.
The agency is an intergovernmental commission and is governed by a board of 18 citizens from Milwaukee County, each of whom hold the title of “Commissioner.”
Visit www.cr-sdc.org to discover more about our programs to help people move beyond poverty.
