Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Bay Area is a United Way-led coalition that provides low-income families and individuals with free tax return preparation, assistance with filing tax credit claims, and asset building information. The program supports the goal of helping all low-income families and individuals become self-sufficient and save money for their future, and exemplifies the innovative investments and partnerships supported through the Bay Area Community Fund.

Often, California’s Bay Area is held up as one of the most affluent, progressive, and desirable places to live in the country.  However, one in four Bay Area families is stretched beyond its financial limits, forced to choose between essentials like putting food on the table or paying the rent. Although they work as hard as anyone, these families are often just one paycheck, one accident or one medical emergency away from financial ruin. Many of these families are headed by a person with a disability or include a family member with a disability.

Remarkably, over $75 million in federal tax credits goes unclaimed by the Bay Area’s working poor each year because they are unaware of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, which refunds up to $4,500 to low-income working individuals and their families. These substantial tax credits can be the first step in helping all families meet their everyday needs as well as save toward assets such as higher education, a first home or a new business.

United Way created Earn It! Keep It! Save It! to galvanize the community’s collective resources and reach thousands of workers who may be unaware of their eligibility for these significant tax refunds. The coalition has included people with disabilities in their outreach efforts from the start.  However, their commitment to serving the needs of people with disabilities extends beyond simple outreach. The program is part of a national movement working to leverage the full potential of federal and local income tax credits to make work pay for low-income families and people with disabilities.

During the 2007 tax season, Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Bay Area returned $23.3 million in tax refunds to 22,962 local hardworking families and to the local economy.  Over the last five years, the program turned a $610,000 investment from United Way’s Bay Area Community Fund into a $71.3 million return for local families, including people with disabilities.

The program began in 2003, operating 14 sites in Alameda County and preparing 2,250 returns.  In its second year, United Way expanded the program to three counties, reaching 8,500 families through 56 sites.  In 2005, the coalition served 13,500 families in six counties with 92 free tax-preparation sites.  By 2006, the program reached all seven Bay Area counties, served by UWBA, through 105 tax sites. This year, it has spanned to 126 sites throughout the Bay Area.

The coalition leverages the power of multiple resources, bringing together more than 200 community-based organizations, government agencies and financial institutions in seven Bay Area counties. In cooperation with the Internal Revenue Service, over 1,900 volunteers were recruited and trained to help low-income workers complete their tax forms and file claims for tax refunds.

The coalition’s commitment to including people with disabilities serves as a model for other programs.  People with disabilities are not included as an afterthought, but included in every phase of the project.  People with disabilities have and continue to serve on the steering committee for the coalition, providing an active community voice during the year long planning process.

Several independent living centers, a Lighthouse for the Blind, and other community destinations serve as VITA site providers, reaching people with disabilities in the community.  The coalition has sponsored disability etiquette training for all the regional site managers, and have planned an outreach/convening for disability groups in the Bay Area to increase awareness and participation in the VITA service.  This year, the coalition will be training several people with disabilities to become volunteer tax preparers in the program.  It is possible that at some point in 2008 a person with a disability will enter a VITA site, located in an independent living center, and have his or her taxes prepared by someone with a disability. 

For more information, visit www.EarnItKeepItSaveIt.org or call (510) 238-2418.