MAYOR CICILLINE AND JOHN HOPE SETTLEMENT HOUSE ANNOUNCE RESULTS OF 8th ANNUAL PROVIDENCE EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT CAMPAIGN ON JULY 9

July 3, 2009 – On Thursday, July 9, Providence’s Mayor David N. Cicilline will lead a 10 a.m. press conference at John Hope Settlement House in Providence to announce the results of the 8th Annual Providence Earned Income Tax Credit Campaign. This year’s campaign saw more than 2,200 filers served, the largest number to-date, along with an 18 percent increase in refunds claimed.

Responding to the results of this year’s campaign, Mayor Ciclline noted, “"The Earned Income Tax Credit is more important than ever in these challenging times. This effort is about ensuring that all eligible Providence families are taking full advantage of the help that EITC provides."

Joining Mayor Cicilline at the podium will be Peter Lee of John Hope Settlement House, Laurie White of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, Jodonna Powell, IRS SPEC Territory manager, Alan Neville of United Way of Rhode Island as well as other local business and community leaders.

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is the nation’s largest and most important anti-poverty program, offering an average of $1,950 per year to each of 22 million low-income working families nationwide. The maximum benefit for those who qualify is $4,700, which for many families in Providence represents about one-fifth of their annual income.

John Hope Settlement House is the lead agency for the Providence EITC Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Coalition representing 10 organizations which:
Offers free, multi-lingual tax preparation services.
Seeks to boost the impact of these tax credits by raising the awareness of eligible families.
Encourages recipients to use their refunds for savings and building assets through ongoing financial education programs and referrals to other work supports.



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VITA is an IRS program that provides oversight, training, software, technical assistance, and other support; all VITA tax preparers are certified by the IRS.

The Providence EITC VITA Coalition also offers financial education, promotes savings through access to free, no-minimum-balance savings accounts through the Washington Trust Co., and assists low-income families in connecting to job training and other important resources and public benefits.

The EITC Campaign is part of Making Connections Providence (MCP), a 10-year initiative of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Campaign is an important part of MCP’s "Family Economic Success" (FES) work, which supports workforce development and promotes financial literacy to help families increase their income and build economic self-sufficiency.

The United Way of Rhode Island (UWRI) is a valued partner in the EITC VITA program: UWRI provided major funding through Community Impact Grants and helped raise public awareness of the EITC campaign and VITA sites via United Way 2-1-1 in Rhode Island, the state’s only 24/7 human, health and social services information referral telephone number.

The Campaign also benefits from the continuing strong support and leadership of Providence Mayor Cicilline.