$5M in tax refund$

Flushing resident Maureen Smith had heard about tax prep services at the East River Development Alliance last year, so when this April rolled around, she figured she would try the Long Island City-based organization.
Smith said she was pleasantly surprised with the attention she received and with the amount of her federal and state refunds.
“They tend to go all out for you over there; they really help you,” Smith said, comparing ERDA’s free program to ones her friends and family used - at a cost of $40 to $100. “It’s a more reasonable rate than if you went to one of these places.”
Smith said that her refunds totaled $1,600, not including the federal tax rebate of up to $600, and with the money, she plans to pay down her debt.
So far, ERDA’s tax program, which is in its fourth year of existence, has gotten back more than $5 million for clients and served more than 1,000 families.
In order to qualify for ERDA’s services, families had to earn less than $40,000 if claiming dependents and less than $20,000 if not claiming dependents, and tax preparers were on the lookout for applicants who were eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
“Expanding access to tax credits is part of a much larger picture—a picture that expands economic opportunity for public housing residents. By coupling access to tax credits with income supports and financial services, we are enabling residents to maximize the value of the credits to their families,” said ERDA’s Founder and CEO Bishop Mitchell G. Taylor in a statement.
The FoodChange/Food Bank of NYC, Robin Hood, JP Morgan Chase, the United Way of NYC, Bank of America, and the New York City Council all partnered with ERDA to provide the program.
Those who received tax prep were also able to apply on-site for food stamps, health insurance and bank accounts and had access to financial counseling, job placement, and college-planning programs.
Smith explained that her own financial situation was complicated by a three-year stint of unemployment after she developed a disability at work, so she had signed up for credit management classes, where she learned how to create a strict budget, save money and pay down her debts.
Now Smith, who lives in the Pomonok Houses and has been a Flushing resident for about 40 years, envisions opening her own medical billing company down the road — although for right now, she is focusing on her job working with children.
“When you are working, you feel good,” she said.
Smith has even recommended ERDA’s programs to a friend in need of tax-prep assistance.
“It’s good to have someone on your side when you need help because sometimes you don’t know all your rights,” she said.