Common Wealth Charlotte’s VITALatino Initiative Gives $99,544 Back to Latino Community
Latinos are the fastest growing community in Mecklenburg County, representing about 12% of the population, or 170,000 people. While many aspects of the Latino community are thriving - entrepreneurship is at an all-time high and higher education is also on the rise - Latinos continue to face financial disparities for a variety of reasons. Latinos
Are overrepresented in industries that were severely impacted by the pandemic
Typically have fewer financial assets ($20K compared to $200K for non-Hispanics)
Are experiencing an increase in student loan debt
Are targeted by predatory lenders, which can cause financial trauma
Experience lower rates of financial literacy due to lack of culturally appropriate financial resources
That’s why Chuck Jones, Executive Director of Common Wealth Charlotte (CWC) decided to launch a Latinx Initiative to create services and resources specifically for our Latino neighbors.
"We had already been working on a plan to serve this growing population," said Chuck Jones, Executive Director. "Yuly Rodriguez was acting as a consultant to help plan both strategy and logistics. The pandemic put all plans into faster implementation, knowing Latinos would be one of the communities impacted most. We were extremely fortunate to have Yuly join the team as program director and leader of the initiative, and we've never looked back. It's now a core service."
Through this Latinx Initiative, CWC offers all its core services - trauma-informed financial literacy education, one-on-one credit counseling and access to banking and credit) - through a more intentional, culturally responsive lens. To date CWC has worked with over 1,000 members of the Latino community, and with their feedback continue to refine and improve processes, procedures and services. CWC’s goal is to help re-shape their clients’ financial future and enhance their upward mobility, and staying closely connected to the communities they serve helps CWC identify gaps in resources and financial services as input into future programming.
One opportunity CWC uncovered was regarding tax preparation services, and in 2021 CWC was approved as one of only two IRS partner organizations in Charlotte to offer VITA. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) is an IRS initiative designed to support free tax preparation services for underserved communities through partner organizations. First offered in 1971, VITA helps low- to moderate-income individuals, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and limited English speakers file their taxes for free each year.
Latino households in the U.S. earn more than $1 trillion annually, and pay hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes regardless of immigration status. VITALatino, CWC’s VITA offering, assists eligible Latino taxpayers in Mecklenburg County with filing taxes to take advantage of tax refunds and tax credits, while saving an average of $300 in tax preparation expenses.
Click the image to download the infographic in English.
Click the image to download the infographic in Spanish.
During CWC’s inaugural VITALatino tax season, sponsored by Bank of America, CWC scheduled 200 appointments resulting in 75 filed tax returns and 90 client consultations. VITALatino clients received over $99K in combined tax returns, and saved $25K in tax preparation fees. Through a partnership with E2D, CWC was also able to give away the 20 donated computers used to complete the tax returns to clients who won them as part of a promotional raffle.
“I appreciated their kindness. They provided a fast and efficient service; I was surprised I did not have to pay and I received a tax credit for the first time. On top of the tax services, they have many resources that can help and are of great need to the community, especially for me now that I want to work towards buying my home.“ ~ Magnolia Alejo, VITALatino Client
“I completed my tax return, and the treatment was extraordinary, the services provided were of excellent quality. I am picking up a laptop which I won, and I am looking forward to next year when they provide this service again.” ~ Alba Marin, VITALatino Client
“This is my second year submitting my taxes and I am incredibly pleased and satisfied because I really received assistance and support and I cleared a lot of my questions and concerns. I also learned more about the tax process and what is expected.” ~ Julian Caro, VITALatino Client
Volunteers are vital to the success of VITA, and CWC was able to engage over 30 volunteers through VITALatino, many of whom were bilingual.
“The most gratifying part of this experience has been seeing the results and seeing how the community does not have to spend hundreds of dollars to prepare their taxes when it's something that we can easily help with thanks to this initiative in partnership with the IRS.” ~ Almudena Monino, VITALatino Volunteer
“I enjoyed getting to know my fellow volunteers and gaining a broader perspective on Charlotte's Latino community. It was a pleasure to help hardworking people file their taxes and avoid the ever-increasing fees charged by professional tax preparers.” ~ Lauren Schalburg, VITALatino Volunteer
CWC could not have done it without the incredible support of the 14 community partners who helped make VITALatino a success – including sponsor, Bank of America, site hosts and in-kind donors, like Camino Community Center and E2D:
“[The] VITA program was an incredibly significant endeavor and of [great] value to us and our community. We were able to assist people with their tax questions, tax preparation and provide much needed help and support. We would love to be part of this initiative in the future and reach and assist more people…in the Latino community. Thank You VITALatino!” ~ Nori Maldonado, Workforce Development Coordinator at Camino Community Center
“When we heard about Common Wealth’s work with VITA, we were so inspired. The families they are helping with taxes are among the exact same E2D aims to serve. Everyone we spoke with said that it was an incredible program that will expand going forward. If VITA expands, E2D will be there to expand its impact as well.” ~ Pat Millen, Founder and President of E2D.
Other partners included Telemundo (click here and here to watch their coverage of VITALatino – a special thanks to Belén Gómez-Jordana!), Progreso Hispano News (click here to view their coverage), Hola News, Aldersgate, El Puente Hispano, Harris YMCA, Huntington Green, Ada Jenkins Center, Caterpillar Ministries, International House. Manolo's Bakery, Golden Set Cafe, Artisan Gelato, UNCC, and Alpha Beta Psi (UNCC).
CWC’s IRS Liaison, Claudia Adams, summed up the success of VITALatino’s first year . “All I can say is WOW! Look at the return production. I’m so proud of all of you [and] how your team made a difference.”
While CWC was thrilled with this year’s results, they are already improving our processes for next year. CWC plans to expand VITALatino and continue to find ways to provide meaningful and innovative financial education services and resources to our Latinx community. There are an estimated 25,000 VITA-eligible Latinos in Mecklenburg County (150,000 in North Carolina), so the work is far from complete.