In December 2004, Community Link co-founded the Family Financial Literacy Coalition (FFLC), which is a group of nonprofit, business and government organizations working together to increase wealth for low income individuals and families in Mecklenburg County. Its mission is to promote resources that provide basic financial education to enable families to build assets and achieve financial stability. The FFLC achieves its mission through the following focus areas:
Tax Assistance Program (VITA) and AARP, the FFLC provides free tax preparation and electronic filing services to low-to-moderate income individuals and seniors.
is a refundable tax credit designed to encourage employment and offset the tax burden of low-income families. Unfortunately, many eligible households fail to claim this credit which could provide more than $4800 in additional income to assist with basic necessities. The Advance Earned Income Tax Credit (AEITC) allows eligible individuals to increase their take home pay by receiving approximately 60% of their EITC benefit throughout the year. FFLC partners disseminate IRS material and conduct community education around the EITC and AEITC.
financial stability of working poor families by increasing financial literacy and using the EITC as a gateway to asset formation. Financial Literacy seminars are offered throughout the year to educate individuals on a variety of asset building strategies. Asset Building Coaches volunteer at the tax preparation sites to offer on-site financial assessment and referral to community resources.
tax preparation, EITC Education/Outreach and Financial Literacy) to persons with disabilities. Working with partner agencies, the FFLC develops outreach strategies to increase awareness and access to services within the disability community. |
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In the 2009 tax season, the FFLC helped file 6,688 tax returns, which brought over $6.2 million in Tax Refunds and $1.7 million in Earned Income Tax Credits to our customers and our community saving each customer approximately $200 by providing Free Tax Preparation. |
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To find out how you can help or to get more information please contact Brenda Williams at brendaw@communitylink-nc.org. You can also find out more from our partnering organizations:
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