Community Resource Fair

Free Tax Preparation Assistance

TAX HELP FOR FREE . . . NEVER A FEE!

Walk-in • Appointment • Homebound Services

Accounting Aid Society will have 26 free tax preparation locations in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and Livingston counties for the main tax season, beginning in late January 2011 and operating through April 15 (plus the five Neighborhood Tax Centers will also be open Monday, April 18, from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.).

Find a site: accountingaidsociety.org

Most locations offer walk-ins on a first come, first served service. Some are by appointment only.

ELIGIBILITY BASED ON ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME

• $50,000 or less for Families (married couple, or person with at least one dependent, for example, a single parent or grandparent with guardianship)

• $25,000 or less for Individuals

• If you pay rent, taxes or heating bills but are not working, you may still be eligible for some tax credits.

Asset-Building Resources

At select tax locations, community partners join us to offer onsite assistance for:
· utility payments and shutoff prevention
· credit reports and counseling
· home ownership and foreclosure prevention
· savings bonds
· debit cards

To find out which tax sites are offering these services, call us at 313-556-1920 or toll-free at 1-866-673-0873.

Public Benefits Screening

Beginning in 2011, we will be able to screen our tax clients at selected tax sites for public benefits eligibility using the online MiBridges program operated by the Michigan Department of Human Services.

Our benefits screeners will help you determine whether your household is eligible for public assistance for:

· medical
· nutritional
· food
· day care
· temporary cash
· other expenses

After completing the 10-minute screening survey, we will be able to give you a printout of your personalized report.

If eligible, we can help you apply online for:
· food assistance program (FAP)
· state emergency relief (SER)
· health insurance for your children (MICHILD and Healthy Kids)

These services will be available at a limited number of Accounting Aid Society tax sites. To find out which of our tax locations offer benefits screening call 313-556-1920 or 1-866-673-0873 toll-free.

We can help you with taxable wages and benefits, non-wage and retirement income, itemized deductions, and self-employment income. We cannot help with capital gains and losses on investments, rental income or sale of a home, or income from multiple stock sales.

Call for an appointment or more details. (313) 556-1920.

Homebound Tax Services

An office-based correspondence service specifically for seniors and those with disabilities who are unable to go to a tax site. For details, call 313-556-1920 or 1-866-673-0873 toll-free.

Become A Mentor!

IT’S NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH: DETROIT’S POLICE CHIEF TO BECOME A BIG BROTHER

On January 12, 2011, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit (BBBSMD) announced that Detroit’s top law enforcement officer, Chief of Police Ralph L. Godbee Jr. who is also the President of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) officially became one of the first Big Brothers of 2011 during a press conference at the BBBSMD Offices, located in the Wellness Plan Building, 7700 Second Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202.

“We are so thrilled that Chief Godbee and NOBLE would commit time and energy to elevate the minds and spirits of young people in our community. Chief Godbee will lead this endeavor by being the first, from the department to step up and become a mentor during our 100 MENtors in 100 Days Campaign,” expressed Dara T. Munson, President & CEO of BBBSMD.

The example that Chief Godbee is setting for members of law enforcement by helping children in his free time also launches a new BBBSMD partnership with the NOBLE. As NOBLE’s President, Godbee is advocating that members who represent all branches of law enforcement engage in mentoring children in the communities where law enforcement members live and serve.

Since its inception in 1976, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives’ membership has grown to over 3,500 law enforcement professionals, who have organized 52 chapters. Through these chapters, NOBLE promotes a holistic community wide approach to the reduction of crime and delinquency through various community outreach programs to meet the ever-changing needs of African American Communities. These outreach efforts include mentoring and promoting scholarships among area youth.

For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. Most children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters are in single-parent and low-income families or households where a parent is incarcerated. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”). And for thirty-seven years of service locally in the metropolitan Detroit community, BBBS maintains a stellar reputation of recruiting exemplary citizens to share positive experiences with metropolitan Detroit youth. For more information on how to sign up, call 313-309-0500 or visit our website at http://www.bbbsdetroit.org.