Opportunity Council's VITA Program Returns $3M To Bucks Clients

DOYLESTOWN, PA — The Bucks County Opportunity Council has completed another successful tax season with its
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. The VITA program is an IRS initiative designed to support free tax preparation services for the underserved through various partner organizations.

Danielle Bush, who oversees the VITA program for BCOC was thrilled with the statistics. “This year’s VITA program made a huge impact, completing a record number of tax returns. This service is truly an asset to our residents, affecting people from all over the county, providing skilled assistance with what is
often an overwhelming task.”

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Including local, state, federal, property tax, rental rebates, and My Free Taxes, BCOC facilitated 2,512 returns. The free program saved clients $879,200 in tax preparer fees and
brought $3.1 million dollars back to the Bucks County community.

The VITA program has operated for over 50 years. VITA sites offer free tax help to low-income people who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. While the IRS manages the VITA program, the five VITA sites in Bucks County are operated by the Bucks County Opportunity Council (BCOC) and
staffed by volunteers who want to make a difference in their communities.

The 55 IRS-certified volunteers who provided tax counseling are a mix of retired and working individuals who support BCOC and happily give their time and expertise to the cause. This year they donated 3,575 volunteer hours to the VITA program.

Since BCOC began providing the VITA program in 2005, volunteers have prepared 24,426 returns, resulting in $40.2 million reinvested in the Bucks County community in the form of refunds, credits, and fees saved.

The VITA program is a key component of the financial literacy provided to low-income families participating in BCOC programs. Refunds received through VITA assist low-income families whose household budgets are tenuous, bringing economic stability back to the household.

Christine, who helps her elderly parents, told BCOC, “I am incredibly grateful for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and the support they provide my family. The volunteers are consistently kind, patient, knowledgeable, and they make the whole process easy to understand, which makes a tremendous difference for families like mine.”

BCOC is grateful for the financial support provided by the IRS, the Bucks County Foundation, and First National Bank and Trust of Newtown. Individuals interested in getting involved for next year’s tax season are welcome to reach out to Danielle Bush at dbush@bcoc.org or call 215-345-8175 x209.

BCOC is the lead anti-poverty, non-profit organization in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, dedicated to ending poverty by connecting people with the resources they need to thrive.
BCOC has five major program areas: Housing, Food, Weatherization, Volunteer Income Tax Preparation
(VITA) and the Economic Self-Sufficiency (ES) Program.

Housing includes street outreach, rental and move in assistance and utility shut-off prevention. Food services distributes food directly to families through a network of over 74 food pantries and distribution sites. Weatherization services assist families in reducing their energy costs. VITA provides free income tax preparation assistance. The ES Program assists individuals and families to leave poverty permanently through case management, education, and
employment.

For over 60 years, the Opportunity Council has served low-income families in Bucks County by helping them to stabilize when in crisis, garner resources to achieve a livable wage, gain additional education and training, and work towards economic self-sufficiency.