Nazareth Housing’s Free Tax Preparation Service Launches Today, Aims to Assist 1000 Individuals

NEW YORK - Jan. 27, 2016 - PRLog -- January 27, 2016 – New York, NY

Beginning today and continuing through the April 18th IRS tax deadline, Nazareth Housing will be providing free tax preparation services through its LifeLab program, MoneyLab. Staff and trained volunteers will meet one-on-one with households to file 2016 Individual Income Tax Returns, assess benefit needs, and asses eligibility for supplementary financial services. To be eligible for the program household income must be less than $53,000, or $25,000 for an individual.

The range of services available to clients during the program are:

• VITA tax preparation
• EITC & other tax credits screening
• Credit report downloads
• Credit repair
• Benefits screening
• Housing counseling
• Refunds in 8-10 days

Appointments for this free service will be available Wednesday through Thursday from 12pm-8pm, and Friday from 10am-5pm at Nazareth Housing’s Center for Learning and Self-Sufficiency (206 East 4th Street). Appointments will also be available on Saturday’s from 10am-5pm at Nazareth Housing’s O’Toole Center for Outreach and Prevention (519 East 11th Street). Appointments can be made by calling Nazareth Housing at (212) 777-1010.

“Our goal in 2016 is to assist 1000 individuals with free tax preparation,” said Mildred Perez, Director for Outreach and Prevention, “Through this program, we return money to low-income households, strengthen the financial well-being of families and individuals, and ensure that barriers to financial and housing security are alleviated.”

The program assisted 482 individuals and 803 individuals in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

Tax preparation services offered through MoneyLab are made possible by a long-standing partnership with the Financial Clinic, an organization dedicated to the financial security of working poor families and individuals by addressing their immediate financial challenges and helping them set long-term goals to achieve financial mobility.

About Nazareth Housing
Nazareth Housing is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit and non-sectarian organization providing supportive and low-income housing, homelessness prevention services, urgent needs assistance, and emergency family shelter. Nazareth Housing was incorporated in 1983 under the leadership of founder Sr. Marion Agnes Daniel’s innovative spirit to reclaim safe and secure housing in the Lower East Side. More than thirty years later Nazareth Housing continues to deliver social impact in the Lower East Side and the Bronx. Nazareth Housing is a HUD certified housing counseling agency, and the only HUD certified agency in New York City that works exclusively with low-income and fair housing rental issues. For more information, visit www.nazarethhousingnyc.org.

About The Financial Clinic
The Financial Clinic’s mission is to build working poor peoples' financial security. The Clinic fulfills its mission through an ecosystem of services that include: tax preparation and financial education workshops; “on-ramp” services including budgeting and accessing mainstream banking services; legal assistance with bankruptcy and consumer law; and financial coaching aimed at identifying goals and creating the financial habits necessary to achieve them.

For more information, please contact:

Mildred Perez
Director of Outreach & Prevention
mperez@nazarethhousingnyc.org
212-777-1010