Janet Pratt in Wichita, KS
The Wichita, Kansas EITC initiative involves an extremely active community coalition. The Wichita Coalition includes the United Way of the Plains, City of Wichita, the IRS, several area accounting firms, banking institutions, and both secular and faith-based nonprofit agencies. Each member of the coalition contributes different strengths and resources to accomplish the common goal. For example, the City of Wichita allows its Neighborhood City Hall sites to be used by the coalition as tax preparation sites. The United Way Volunteer Center recruits both volunteers to prepare taxes and agencies to serve as additional sites. The IRS provides VITA training to volunteers in the computer lab at St. Anne Parish. This partnership has made the EITC initiative a community-wide effort rather than just a program sponsored by a single agency.

During our first year in 2004, the coalition prepared approximately 504 tax returns for the 2003 tax year that brought a total of $315,645 to low-income families. Now in its second year, the coalition has added three additional tax sites for a total of nine VITA sites. Electronic filing statistics as of March 3, 2005 indicate that 454 tax returns have been prepared so far with an average EITC of $1,268. The sites are open from February 1, 2005 through April 15, 2005.

An outreach effort was implemented in order to educate the public about the Earned Income Tax Credit. The United Way of the Plains marketing department developed a flyer to distribute to targeted low income people, and we are keeping track of the number distributed and where they were distributed. The flyer can also be downloaded from the United Way of the Plains website. The locations for the free tax preparation sites are also listed on our website. We are promoting the EITC through the radio, TV, and newspaper in Wichita by having the United Way marketing department contact the media outlets and provide them with information about the EITC. The coalition's goal is to provide EITC outreach to 98,500 low-income taxpayers in the Wichita area.

Wichita was selected this year as one of 13 cities nationwide for the TAX FACTS campaign to help persons with disabilities with EITC filings and other financial-related support services. TAX FACTS is a three-year national campaign to build knowledge and utilization of favorable tax provisions and financial education for individuals with disabilities and their families. Eventually, 36 cities will be included in the TAX FACTS campaign. Wichita also was selected as one of two pilot cities for the Asset Accumulation and Tax Policy Project (AATPP) to help individuals with disabilities gain financial self-sufficiency. Communities United Credit Union, one of our EITC sites, is helping organize the project. The credit union is providing financial education classes and assisting low-income persons with disabilities to begin to acquire assets that can help lift them out of poverty. The help could be financial education classes, income tax preparation assistance, or enrollment in Individual Development Accounts (IDAs). The credit union currently has an IDA program focused upon acquiring assets toward homeownership. Participants save $750 over a three-year period and receive a $750 match from credit union resources toward a down payment. The credit union plans to enlarge the program to include saving/matching for post-secondary education or starting a business.