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Nearly 200 people received free, last-minute tax assistance at the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council center Wednesday.
From 8:30 a.m. Wednesday until about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, the center became a tax office. The line stretched outside the door with people in need of help.
"This room was filled, the lobby was filled and there were at least 20 people waiting in line outside," Alana Henry said.
Henry is the executive director of the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council. The services were made possible through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, known as VITA.
The program helps underserved communities file their taxes each year.
"We do simple returns for folks who don’t have very much money, and help them file their state and federal returns." Julie Riddle said. "And our volunteers get trained every year and certified by the IRS."
Riddle, the VITA program coordinator with the University of Missouri Extension, noted the impact of recent tax changes for older adults.
"Folks over 65 were able to add $6,000 to their standard deduction, which means that takes another $6,000 off their taxable income," Riddle said. "And so people that might have owed before because they got social security and a pretty good pension for example, many of them didn’t owe."
Professional tax preparation can be a financial burden for many families in the area.
"The economic strain right now is really tight on a lot of families. Tax season brings both a fear and concern of having to pay back the government, and also a cost for support in maximizing your return and maximizing your deductions," Henry said. "Usually you’re looking at between $300 to $500 for (a) professional to do that. When we’re talking about a community or individuals who may be making less than $50,000 a year, or in this community less than $32,000 a year, that is kind of a big ask to bite off in one month."
Participants appreciated the helping hand to meet the filing deadline.
"I’m very glad,"Richard, a participant, said. "We weren’t trying to wait until the last day, but that’s the way it turned out,"
Another participant noted the resources the Ivanhoe council consistently supplies.
"This is another way that Ivanhoe does good of giving back to the community, so that’s nice," Juan Sanchez said.
As much as those receiving the help enjoy the program, so do the volunteers.
"It’s a really unique opportunity to sit down with someone and get a very close look at their life in just an hour," Riddle said. "And it's really meaningful. It’s one of the most meaningful volunteer positions I’ve ever had.”
The Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council will also do off-season tax returns by appointment after April 20. Those interested can call the United Way hotline at 211.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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