Auburn tax clinic generates $1.5 million in returns
Nicole Jones
Published: May 15, 2006
The third annual Auburn Gresham Tax Clinic, co-sponsored by Greater Auburn Gresham Community Development Corp. (GADC), St. Sabina’s Employment Resource Center and The Center for Economic Progress (CEP), generated nearly $1.5 million in aggregate returns for more than 1,000 households.
The clinic, located in the Employment Resource Center at 7903 S. Racine, processed 1,027 returns and generated $1.46 million, up from 904 returns and more than $1.2 million in refunds in 2005.
"The Auburn Gresham free income tax site has become a treasure for residents of Auburn Gresham, Englewood, and the surrounding South Side and south suburban communities," said Carlos Nelson, executive director of GADC. GADC and partners CEP and St. Sabina ERC also have established "long-term relationships with clients nurtured by year-long free finanical empowerment courses teaching them how to make their tax returns work for them."
The CEP's Tax Counseling Project, one of the nation’s largest community-based programs providing free tax preparation and tax counseling, serves families with incomes under $38,000, and individuals with incomes under $15,000.
The Auburn-Gresham clinic was one of 14 centers citywide to provide free tax services to Chicago residents, eight of which were located in NCP neighborhoods: Humboldt Park, Logan Square, Lawndale, Pilsen, South Chicago, Bronzeville (part of Quad Communities), West Haven and Woodlawn. Citywide these centers prepared nearly 15,000 returns, garnering nearly $20.5 million in refunds in 2006, according to CEP.
GADC launched Auburn Grehsam's first tax preparation center in 2004, which serviced more than 650 returns and brought back $1 million into the community. The South Side Community Federal Credit Union assisted participants in opening a free savings account with direct electronic deposit of their tax refund checks.
GADC also has worked to educate recipients on how to manage their funds, developing a Banking Consortium team filled with community banking partners such as: ABC Bank, Bank One, Fifth Third Bank, Northern Trust Bank, Highland Community Bank, Shore Bank, Washington Mutual Bank, LaSalle Bank and Neighborhood Housing Services.
Hosted by GADC, these institutions have provided financial empowerment classes to individuals who participated in our tax clinic and other interested parties. These classes were very well-attended in 2005.
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