Document Actions
Building Economic Stability for Individuals with Disabilities
Dianne Laubert
United Way of Palm Beach County, Florida
United Way of Palm Beach County is making an impact on the lives of people with disabilities in Palm Beach County. This is being achieved through the Promoting Independence for People with Disabilities Community Impact area and the Palm Beach County Prosperity Campaign.
The Promoting Independence for People with Disabilities Community Impact area works with the county’s disability community to determine its most pressing needs. This Impact area focuses on three goals - 1) maintain the individual’s ability to live in the setting of their choice, 2) have transportation where and when they need it, and 3) have safe, meaningful and productive daytime activities. Working closely with nine community partners, United Way is accomplishing these goals.
With respect to asset-building and economic stability for people with disabilities, United Way has created the Palm Beach County Prosperity Campaign, an initiative designed to empower low-income and low-wealth residents of Palm Beach County to increase their earnings, build assets and move toward self-sufficiency. The program has several components, including the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program and Prosperity Centers.
Three years ago, when United Way of Palm Beach County learned that county residents were not claiming $11.5 million in Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) -- the organization did what it does best - created a partnership to make a community impact. United Way and the IRS both recognized the value in helping low-income and low-wealth residents become economically self-sufficient. Working together, the two organizations expanded the VITA program in Palm Beach County.
The VITA program offers free, tax-preparation service to households that earn less than $39,000 a year. Prior to the United Way and IRS partnership, only 641 residents were using the VITA program. In 2004, the first year of United Way of Palm Beach County’s involvement, 4,035 residents utilized the service, receiving $3.2 million in EITC and $6.8 million in total refunds. This past tax season, more than 8,100 residents used the VITA program, and received $14 million in returns, including $6 million in EITC. More than 200 IRS-certified volunteers staff the 42 VITA sites in Palm Beach County.
The VITA program has had a significant impact on the disability community as well. In 2005, 598 people with disabilities filed returns and received $734,000 in refunds, including $308,000 in EITC. Last year, 1,006 people with disabilities used VITA, and received $1,518,500 in refunds, including $626,000 in EITC. This is a 68% increase in the number of returns filed, and a 107% increase in total refunds.
Getting residents the money they earned, was just the beginning. Working with community leaders, nonprofit agencies and businesses, United Way of Palm Beach County expanded its Prosperity Campaign by opening five Prosperity Centers - one-stop resource centers designed to offer a continuum of economic programs to help low-income residents. Prosperity Centers offer a core set of services, which include a matched-saving program for homeownership, help in resolving credit issues, money management assistance, financial literacy, benefits assistance, education and job assistance, and other programs to provide economic and self-sufficiency support. In addition, the Centers offer benefit planning, to provide people with disabilities one-on-one counseling and education about disability benefits and the impact of employment on those benefits. The Centers are designed to help integrate access to services that people with disabilities might not know otherwise existed.
During the 2006 tax season, United Way of Palm Beach County’s Prosperity Campaign was one of four programs nationwide, chosen to participate in a TaxFacts+ survey, conducted by the National Disability Institute and the Ford Foundation. The survey was conducted with residents with disabilities, who had their tax return prepared at a VITA site. From that survey, United Way learned that people with disabilities were facing such issues as access to employment, access to training, access to transportation, and benefits planning. As a result, United Way of Palm Beach County’s Promoting Independence for People with Disabilities Impact Area and the Prosperity Campaign are focusing efforts to provide opportunities to support the disability community.
Recently, United Way of Palm Beach County received a $2,000 grant from the National Disability Institute and Bank of America to promote the TaxFacts+ project in Palm Beach County. United Way will host a special event in the spring to publicize the TaxFacts+ project. Members from the disability community will be included, as well as Prosperity Campaign partners and funders. A feature of the event will be highlighting and identifying how those in the disability community have benefited through asset-building.
United Way of Palm Beach County is proud of its Prosperity Campaign and the impact it has made for the residents of Palm Beach County.
More information on the Prosperity Campaign can be found on United Way of Palm Beach County’s Web site at www.unitedwaypbc.org.
United Way of Palm Beach County, Florida
United Way of Palm Beach County is making an impact on the lives of people with disabilities in Palm Beach County. This is being achieved through the Promoting Independence for People with Disabilities Community Impact area and the Palm Beach County Prosperity Campaign.
The Promoting Independence for People with Disabilities Community Impact area works with the county’s disability community to determine its most pressing needs. This Impact area focuses on three goals - 1) maintain the individual’s ability to live in the setting of their choice, 2) have transportation where and when they need it, and 3) have safe, meaningful and productive daytime activities. Working closely with nine community partners, United Way is accomplishing these goals.
With respect to asset-building and economic stability for people with disabilities, United Way has created the Palm Beach County Prosperity Campaign, an initiative designed to empower low-income and low-wealth residents of Palm Beach County to increase their earnings, build assets and move toward self-sufficiency. The program has several components, including the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program and Prosperity Centers.
Three years ago, when United Way of Palm Beach County learned that county residents were not claiming $11.5 million in Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) -- the organization did what it does best - created a partnership to make a community impact. United Way and the IRS both recognized the value in helping low-income and low-wealth residents become economically self-sufficient. Working together, the two organizations expanded the VITA program in Palm Beach County.
The VITA program offers free, tax-preparation service to households that earn less than $39,000 a year. Prior to the United Way and IRS partnership, only 641 residents were using the VITA program. In 2004, the first year of United Way of Palm Beach County’s involvement, 4,035 residents utilized the service, receiving $3.2 million in EITC and $6.8 million in total refunds. This past tax season, more than 8,100 residents used the VITA program, and received $14 million in returns, including $6 million in EITC. More than 200 IRS-certified volunteers staff the 42 VITA sites in Palm Beach County.
The VITA program has had a significant impact on the disability community as well. In 2005, 598 people with disabilities filed returns and received $734,000 in refunds, including $308,000 in EITC. Last year, 1,006 people with disabilities used VITA, and received $1,518,500 in refunds, including $626,000 in EITC. This is a 68% increase in the number of returns filed, and a 107% increase in total refunds.
Getting residents the money they earned, was just the beginning. Working with community leaders, nonprofit agencies and businesses, United Way of Palm Beach County expanded its Prosperity Campaign by opening five Prosperity Centers - one-stop resource centers designed to offer a continuum of economic programs to help low-income residents. Prosperity Centers offer a core set of services, which include a matched-saving program for homeownership, help in resolving credit issues, money management assistance, financial literacy, benefits assistance, education and job assistance, and other programs to provide economic and self-sufficiency support. In addition, the Centers offer benefit planning, to provide people with disabilities one-on-one counseling and education about disability benefits and the impact of employment on those benefits. The Centers are designed to help integrate access to services that people with disabilities might not know otherwise existed.
During the 2006 tax season, United Way of Palm Beach County’s Prosperity Campaign was one of four programs nationwide, chosen to participate in a TaxFacts+ survey, conducted by the National Disability Institute and the Ford Foundation. The survey was conducted with residents with disabilities, who had their tax return prepared at a VITA site. From that survey, United Way learned that people with disabilities were facing such issues as access to employment, access to training, access to transportation, and benefits planning. As a result, United Way of Palm Beach County’s Promoting Independence for People with Disabilities Impact Area and the Prosperity Campaign are focusing efforts to provide opportunities to support the disability community.
Recently, United Way of Palm Beach County received a $2,000 grant from the National Disability Institute and Bank of America to promote the TaxFacts+ project in Palm Beach County. United Way will host a special event in the spring to publicize the TaxFacts+ project. Members from the disability community will be included, as well as Prosperity Campaign partners and funders. A feature of the event will be highlighting and identifying how those in the disability community have benefited through asset-building.
United Way of Palm Beach County is proud of its Prosperity Campaign and the impact it has made for the residents of Palm Beach County.
More information on the Prosperity Campaign can be found on United Way of Palm Beach County’s Web site at www.unitedwaypbc.org.