Low-Income Families' Program Cut to Saturdays Only

Did you know VITA offers free income tax preparation to families in northern Virginia with less than $49,000 in income? The program has grown over several years, expanding locations, recruiting more volunteers. A few years ago, I interviewed the VITA team at the Kingstowne Library and the area supervisor for an article on the program. At that time, they helped low-income families two evenings during the workweek and Saturdays. They told me they had a constant flow, often people waiting up to an hour--and I witnessed it.

According to the volunteer FAQs, free tax preparation services at Fairfax County Public Library sites will only be offered Saturdays for a few hours. No evening hours on weekdays. That's terrible news. After all, adults in families making less than $49,000 don't always have Saturdays available. When I worked retail, I almost never had a Saturday off.

Why aren't the public libraries used for evening sessions, too, like they were in previous years? Is it because we have fewer local families that fit the "$49,000 or less" income bracket? Is it that nobody attended evening sessions in previous years? I suspect the change is simple: Now that the libraries close at 8 P.M. (and will close earlier next fiscal year, under Option II), many volunteers and families in need won't have time to conduct a proper tax preparation in the allotted time.

In other words: When there are fewer library hours, there are fewer services provided at the libraries.

Last year, 488 volunteers helped 3,280 low-income, working families file their taxes for free and made certain eligible families took the Earned Income Tax Credit and other refunds. The refunds totaled $4.4 million. Will the program be as successful, without weekday evening hours? Sadly, probably not.

(For more information on how you can volunteer for this program or receive assistance from this program, visit http://nvacash.org/vita/?pagename=Volunteers.)