By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer

With thousands of Central Floridians struggling to pay for housing, utilities, food and other critical necessities, Heart of Florida United Way is helping qualified residents claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, which the organization said helps lift more children out of poverty than any other federal program.

To ensure that residents receive the full amount they are entitled to, more than 30 free tax preparation sites are available around Central Florida until April 15 through a partnership with the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and AARP Tax-Aide programs

Osceola County has nine free tax sites, including one at the Osceola County Council on Aging, 700 Generation Point in Kissimmee, and the St. Cloud Senior Center, 3101 17th St. in St. Cloud. For individual site dates and times, visit www.hfuw.org.

In its fourth year providing this service, Heart of Florida has expanded the program this year by five sites, including offering free tax preparation at the Valencia College Osceola Campus for the first time.

Since beginning Feb. 1, the program has seen tremendous growth, Brittany Richards, senior manager of Community Investment for the agency, said.

“We’ve had an excellent response,” she said. “Historically, the people who file early are looking to get their refund as soon as possible.”

This holds true for Kay Hays. She is unable to work and lives off a pension from a 25-year career in automobile manufacturing and Social Security disability benefits.

Hays and her half-sister, Dorothy Mills, 62, visited the Council on Aging’s free tax site Tuesday, the second time in two weeks because last week Hays, 63, was unable to itemize her deductions.

While Mills said she did not earn enough last year to file a tax return, Hays expects a refund this year and is “trying to find a couple hundred” dollars.

The sisters, who moved to Kissimmee nine months ago from St. Augustine, live together to pool their finances and hope the tax refund is the boost they need.

“You can’t beat the price,” Mills joked about the service.

Richards said it is families struggling in this economy who need this service the most, especially to ensure they qualify and receive their entitled amounts.

The tax credits range from $457 to $5,666 for tax year 2011. EITC helps qualified families and individuals reduce debt, enroll in job training, save for a home, pay for car repairs or use in any way they see fit.

“Because people in need often file early and at great expense through commercial tax preparation services, United Way wants to spread the word that free help is available,” Richards said. “By filing returns at local VITA sites, people receive 100 percent of their refunds for free, usually within 10 days or less.”

To qualify for EITC, recipients must have earned income at any time in 2010 and meet the guidelines for maximum income. In some cases, people may be able to claim up to $20,000 by re-filing tax returns for the past three years.

More than $1 billion has been claimed regionally between 2007-09, yet the Internal Revenue Service estimates that 25 percent of qualified residents failed to claim ETIC due to lack of awareness. With hundreds of thousands of Central Floridians eligible for the credit, the economic impact on individual lives and on the community is tremendous.

“Because of the continued economic recession, even more residents are likely to qualify for EITC this year who have never qualified for the tax credit before,” United Way President/CEO Robert H. Brown said. “An extra $5,666 can make a huge difference to a family that’s dealing with job loss, foreclosure or other financial crises. And because most EITC dollars are spent right here in our local community, local merchants and businesses also benefit.”

Tax refunds also provide a significant boost to the Central Florida economy, where $422 million in refunds were distributed in 2009 alone throughout Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.

Reflecting growing community need, calls to United Way 2-1-1, a free, 24-hour crisis hotline and information and referral helpline, continued to break new records. More than 171,400 calls were received in 2010. Seventy-five percent were first-time callers, people who have never needed help before; and utility and housing assistance accounted for more than half of all calls.

“A growing number of people are hurting and they don’t know where to turn,” Richards said. “They’ve exhausted savings, benefits and family generosity and many continue to face the frightening prospect of hunger and homelessness.”

The JPMorgan Chase Foundation, The Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation and The Wal-Mart Foundation are providing additional support by sponsoring United Way’s Prosperity Campaign, which promotes EITC and other resources that help families improve their financial stability.

For more information about EITC, visit www.hfuw.org, dial 2-1-1 or visit www.irs.gov.