Corporation for National and Community Service

It’s a busy Tuesday evening in February at Federal Hill House (FHH) in Providence, Rhode Island with several clients waiting to have their taxes prepared. Clients have come to trust and rely on the free tax preparation service offered by the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA). The VITA program offers free tax help to people who make $54,000 or less, persons with disabilities, and limited English speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers provide free income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals.

Senior Corps RSVP volunteers are a critical part of the program and assist clients by greeting them, preparing and reviewing their tax returns, helping them fill out and understand their tax forms, explaining the tax credits for which they may or may not qualify, and making referrals to programs in the community. The Senior Corps RSVP volunteers are recruited by Federal Hill House to serve throughout Providence.

Nancy Henry, a Senior Corps RSVP volunteer, is one of the familiar faces who welcomes clients when they walk through the doors. She has served as a VITA volunteer for more than six years. As a trained IRS-certified volunteer, Nancy and six other Senior Corps RSVP volunteers are part of a team that helped prepare 2,930 tax returns this tax season (as of April 8, 2018). That marks an 8.57% increase from the previous year for the City of Providence.

Senior Corps RSVP volunteers serve at the various VITA sites across Providence, generating refunds, promoting credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit, and referring clients to other financial programs such as the first-time homebuyer classes and credit repair program offered by member agencies of the coalition.