Community Bridges’ Tax Outreach Campaign Brings in Nearly $500K to Community

Santa Cruz County, CA — Community Bridges over the past year has helped roughly 100 community members access nearly half a million dollars in tax benefits through an extensive tax outreach campaign. 

The Santa Cruz County ITIN and Child Tax Credit Project (Project) has assisted eligible families and individuals in filing for their Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) and Child Tax Credits (CTC), as well as accessing the state and federal Earned Income Tax Credits (ETIC).  

Since December 2021, 61 individuals and families have either filed for a new ITIN or renewed their number through the Program at Community Bridges’ four Family Resource Collective (FRC) locations across the county. As a result, those ITIN filers accessed approximately $122,000 in IRS refunds, and saved a total of $4,160 in document preparation fees. 

In addition, 97 individuals and families have been served and benefited from state and federal EITCs, bringing in an estimated $232,800 to our community. 

“Undocumented immigrants across the nation leave billions on the table that they are legally eligible to receive,” Community Bridges CEO Raymon Cancino stated. “Our goal has always been to improve the well-being of families through creative and focused asset building work such as this project and we are thankful for the support from David and Lucile Packard Foundation and Community Foundation Santa Cruz County for their support in sponsoring this program.” 

As part of the Project, Community Bridges’ FRC case managers help prospective filers obtain and prepare paperwork and documents to apply for an ITIN using the agency’s paid contractor. Community Bridges then pays for their tax filing fees and also helps prepare them with the contractor. The project has also provided ongoing navigation assistance with public benefits, including but not limited to CalFresh and MediCal. 

Simply filing for and obtaining an ITIN, a tax processing number for individuals who do not have, and are not eligible to obtain, a Social Security number, make a person eligible for dozens of supports like the EITC and CTC. This brings in local dollars into the community, strengthens a person’s case for future citizenship reviews, and provides low-income community members needed funds for basic needs, improving local outcomes for individuals and families.  

Federal and state EITCs alone keep an estimated 840,000 Californians (including 376,000 children) out of poverty, according to the California Poverty Measure–a research effort by the Public Policy Institute of California and the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality. And through temporary monthly payments to families with children, the federal CTC lowered poverty by 1.8 points. In addition, the federal EITC lowered poverty by 1.1 points. 

Community Bridges’ Project has been essential in providing assistance to community members who often face barriers to navigating essential federal procedures, particularly Santa Cruz County’s undocumented Latine population. According to the latest report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, undocumented taxpayers contribute over $21 million in state and local taxes. They also represent 10% of the workforce in California, where their labor has largely fallen into the “essential” category throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

In total, Community Bridges has fielded close to 400 calls to our ITIN/EITC helpline and scheduled 167 appointments for Individuals and families seeking to apply for or renew their ITIN. 

The project was made possible by a grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and Community Foundation Santa Cruz County. 

ABOUT THE FAMILY RESOURCE COLLECTIVE  

The compassionate and knowledgeable staff at the four Family Resource Centers (FRCs) offer a warm, friendly, safe place for the Santa Cruz County community to access resources that offer stability and hope for the future. Bi-lingual and bi-cultural advocacy services meet the long and short-term needs of families at no or low cost. FRCs help our community access benefits and resources such as housing, employment, healthcare, disability, unemployment, immigration, mental health counseling, parenting education, literacy education, youth tutoring, substance abuse recovery, domestic violence prevention, nutrition, and child care.  

Watsonville: La Manzana Community Resources 521 Main St, Suite Y Watsonville, CA 95076  

Live Oak: Live Oak Community Resources 1740 17th Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062  

Felton: Mountain Community Resources 6134 Hwy 9, Felton, CA 95018 

Santa Cruz: Nueva Vista Community Resources 711 E Cliff Dr, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 

ABOUT COMMUNITY BRIDGES  

Community Bridges envisions a thriving community where every person has the opportunity to unleash their full potential. Together, our family of programs delivers essential services, provides equitable access to resources, and advocates for health and dignity across every stage of life. To learn more, please visit www.communitybridges.org.  

The Community Bridges family of programs includes the Child & Adult Care Food Program, Early Education Division, Women, Infants and Children (WIC), La Manzana Community Resources, Live Oak Community Resources, Mountain Community Resources, Nueva Vista Community Resources, Elderday Adult Day Health Care, Lift Line and Meals on Wheels for Santa Cruz County. 

The County of Santa Cruz is undertaking an effort to improve economic, racial, age, disability, gender, geographic and other forms of diversity within its commissions and committees.The County is hosting community workshops beginning next week to facilitate community conversations around County commissions and their purpose, including how and why to participate, the lack of representation and how this impacts the community, and the resources or support needed to ensure the diversity of our government reflects the diversity of our community.- Learn more about the County and County advisory bodies- Find out how and why you should participate- Let us know what resources or support are needed for participationJune 14, 6:00pmCapitola Branch Library2005 Wharf Road, CapitolaJune 21, 6:00pmZoom OnlyMeeting ID: 827 4502 8186Password: 128142June 16, 6:00pmWatsonville Center for the Arts375 Main St, WatsonvilleJune 22, 6:00pmSheriff's Community Service Center790 Green Valley Rd, WatsonvilleSpanish translation/interpretation, Light meal/snacks,Childcare at Watsonville locations and Gift cards for participants over 18 ... See MoreSee Less
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El condado de Santa Cruz está llevando a cabo un esfuerzo para mejorar la diversidad económica, racial, de edad, de discapacidad, de género, geográfica y otras formas de diversidad dentro de sus comisiones y comités.El Condado está organizando talleres comunitarios a partir de la próxima semana para facilitar las conversaciones de la comunidad en torno a las comisiones del Condado y su propósito, incluyendo cómo y por qué participar, la falta de representación y cómo esto afecta a la comunidad, y los recursos o el apoyo necesario para garantizar la diversidad de nuestro gobierno refleja la diversidad de nuestra comunidad.- Más información sobre el Condado y los órganos consultivos del Condado- Averigüe cómo y por qué debería participar- Háganos saber qué recursos o apoyo son necesarios para la participación14 de junio, 6:00pmBiblioteca Capitola Branch2005 Wharf Road, Capitola21 de junio, 6:00pmSólo ZoomReunión ID: 827 4502 8186Contraseña: 12814216 de junio, 6:00pmCentro de las Artes de Watsonville375 Main St, Watsonville22 de Junio, 6:00pmCentro de Servicios Comunitarios del Sheriff790 Green Valley Rd, WatsonvilleTraducción/interpretación en español, Comida ligera/meriendas,Cuidado de niños en Watsonville y tarjetas de regalo para participantes mayores de 18 años. ... See MoreSee Less
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Thanks to the funds the Monterey County Supervisors recently approved, more economic assistance is now available for families and individuals in Monterey County impacted by the winter and spring storms!You may qualify for a grant between $450-750 if you: • Have a monthly income between 0-200% of the Federal Poverty Limit • Were affected by the cumulative effects of recent disastrous weather events• Live in Monterey County Residents whose homes have been identified as Red and Orange tagged via the Monterey County's CalFire Assessment Map and those who are ineligible for FEMA and previous funding assistance will be prioritized.You do not need to apply for this grant if Community Bridges or Catholic Charities have already assessed or helped you receive economic assistance. We are actively reaching out to people already in our system and those who did not previously qualify for funds.If you have not applied for or received assistance through Community Bridges or Catholic Charities, please call us.Catholic Charities: (831) 316-9122• Serving: Residents of Salinas and South Monterey County; Chualar, Gonzalez, Soledad, Greenfield, King City, San Lucas, San Ardo, etc.Community Bridges: (831) 724-2997• Serving: Residents of the Monterey Peninsula & North Monterey County: Pajaro, Royal Oaks, Las Lomas, etc.For more information about this program, visit bit.ly/45QqSIUFor a list of all assistance available to families who the recent storms have impacted, visit communitybridges.org/emergency ... See MoreSee Less
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