1. You deserve a big hand.
Thanks to you, more than 2,300 public housing residents and other
community members got free, expert help filing their taxes. The payoff
was huge: $2.3 million dollars in tax rebates to help families pay for
food, housing, and other critical needs.

2. You put $1.1 million back into the pockets of low-income families as ERDA helped more than a
thousand residents access the Earned Income Tax Credit.

3. The Earned Income Tax Credit
helps families with more than just
short-term needs. Children of EITC
recipients do better in school, are
likelier to attend college, and earn
more as adults, according to a
2013 study by the Center on
Budget and Policy Priorities.

4. Since 2005 ERDA has helped more than 10,000 families file their taxes and get back more than $17
million in tax rebates, money pumped back into the local economy.

5. Marleny Acevedo, who lives in public housing in Long Island City, got tax
prep help from ERDA. A mother of two, Marleny is expecting a tax refund of
more than $13,000.

6. At a press conference on April 8, 2013, Edwin Garcia urged others to
take advantage of ERDA’s tax assistance program. Edwin is due to
get a tax refund of more than $12,000, money he will use to care for
his 12-year old son and to pay for training to become a chef.

7. Tax assistance is just the first stop for many who come to ERDA.
Edwin and Marleny opened a bank account at ERDA’s credit union
last week and now have access to a savings account, personal
loans, certificates of deposit and other financial services. Marleny
even opened accounts for her children.

8. Thanks to you, Edwin, Marleny and thousands of others are on a
path to a brighter future.