{"id":1172,"date":"2019-04-01T14:58:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-01T18:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/news\/earned-income-tax-credit-helps-families-toward-stability\/"},"modified":"2024-12-17T10:27:42","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T15:27:42","slug":"earned-income-tax-credit-helps-families-toward-stability","status":"publish","type":"impact_story","link":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/es\/impact-stories\/earned-income-tax-credit-helps-families-toward-stability\/","title":{"rendered":"El Cr\u00e9dito por Ingreso del Trabajo ayuda a las familias a alcanzar la estabilidad"},"template":"","class_list":["post-1172","impact_story","type-impact_story","status-publish","hentry","topic-family-finances","topic-tax-assistance"],"acf":{"details":{"featured_image":"","quote":"It was a blessing to learn about EITC. With that money, I was able to pay down debt and help my credit. That helped me get to where I am today.","citation":"Renee","topic":[172,176],"program_theme":[134],"button_text":"Read More"},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_impact_story_hero","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_impact_story_hero":{"kicker_text":"","heading":"","summary":"","image":"","cta":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"
\r\n
\r\n\r\nNota<\/strong>: Esta publicaci\u00f3n describe los servicios anteriores a la COVID. Para obtener informaci\u00f3n actualizada sobre los servicios virtuales de preparaci\u00f3n de impuestos, Visite nuestra p\u00e1gina web de Asistencia Fiscal.<\/a>.<\/em>\r\n\r\nIf every home has a story to tell, Renee Perkins\u2019 brick colonial on the west side of Detroit spins a tale of overcoming the odds and achieving impossible goals.\r\n\r\nIn the home, dark hardwood floors lead to a fireplace topped with pictures of her son, 6, and her daughter, 1, along with the brightly-colored drawings they\u2019ve made at school. Nestled between the photos is an award from\u00a0Agencia de Acci\u00f3n Comunitaria Metropolitana de Wayne<\/a>, which recognizes outstanding clients who have overcome significant barriers to achieve success.\r\n\r\nAnd that\u2019s precisely what Renee has done. With the help of various programs offered through our partners at Wayne Metro, the 29-year old, who works as a table games dealer at MGM Grand Detroit, became the first person in her immediate family to own a home.\r\n\r\nAs part of our work to help households become stable, United Way partners with organizations like Wayne Metro to provide free in-person tax preparation services. We also offer free tax preparation services through United Way Worldwide\u2019s\u00a0MyFreeTaxes.com<\/a>. Estos servicios ayudan a las personas a conservar una mayor parte de sus ingresos y allanan el camino hacia la estabilidad financiera.\r\n

Desarrollado por EITC<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nOne of the benefits of using these services is the knowledge employed by tax professionals. For example, many people who qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) are not aware of it. Filing for this credit can add thousands of dollars to a family\u2019s budget.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt was a blessing to learn about EITC,\u201d Renee said. \u201cWith that money, I was able to pay down debt and help my credit. That helped me get to where I am today.\u201d\r\n\r\nIn 2018, collaborative efforts between United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and free tax prep providers helped nearly 85,000 Detroiters claim the EITC. As a result, they recouped nearly $300 million in federal and state EITC tax refunds that had historically gone unclaimed. That\u2019s an average of $3,500 per family.\r\n\r\nFor many, the EITC is the single largest lump sum of money they will see in a year. How it\u2019s handled can have a long-term impact on financial stability.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen people come to our tax sites, we have financial coaches available to help make the most of their refund,\u201d said Arnitra Cooksey, tax services manager at Wayne Metro. \u201cThere are a lot of options available, whether they want to use some of the money to supplement basic needs, pay off debt or set bigger financial goals.\u201d\r\n\r\nWith additional donor support, we can reach more people next tax season. Tax credits like the EITC can make a huge difference for the families in our region who struggle to keep up with their bills and afford their basic needs.\r\n\r\nRecognizing the power of the EITC as a springboard for positive change, Renee worked with Wayne Metro in 2016 as a tax preparer to help other families receive the credit.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/section>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
\r\n\r\nRenee Perkins est\u00e1 sentada en un sof\u00e1 dentro de su nuevo hogar.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n

Haciendo posible lo imposible<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nRenee first came to Wayne Metro in 2013 for assistance with a DTE bill that had grown unmanageable. Buried under the weight of a looming shutoff, she was desperate for help.\u00a0 She created a payment plan and was connected with a financial coach.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt was scary and intimidating at first because I had a lot of debt,\u201d Renee said. \u201cI had a $3,500 eviction and money I owed cable companies. I didn\u2019t know how I\u2019d pay that off, but they helped me create a plan.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnne Sergent, one of the financial coaches Renee worked with, said \u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s so inspiring. The clients trust us and work with us and then they\u2019re empowered to reach their personal goals.\u201d\r\n\r\nFor Renee, the goal was homeownership. With help from her coaches and the EITC, she was able to pay down debt, establish a budget for the first time, enlist in the homebuyer\u2019s education program and save for a home.\r\n\r\nIt wasn\u2019t an easy road and there were setbacks along the way, but the diligence of her coaches coupled with the impending birth of her daughter motivated her to succeed.\r\n\r\nEven after saving and receiving her tax refund, she was still unable to make the down payment. A $1,500 microgrant from the United Way provided the last bit of funding needed to help her achieve her dream of homeownership.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe microgrants are so key,\u201d said Karen MacDonald, director of Economic Opportunity Services at Wayne Metro. \u201cIt may take a client six months to save an extra $1,500. By then the home is no longer available or the price has risen. They\u2019d never be able to catch up with the housing market without it.\u201d\r\n

Planificaci\u00f3n para el futuro<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nLooking around her home, Renee\u2019s pride fills the room. The home means safety and stability for her children and a life much different than what she experienced growing up.\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve always been the one to take care of others,\u201d she said. \u201cMy family comes to me for help. That\u2019s a lot of weight. This is something I did for myself and that feels good.\u201d\r\n\r\nRenee\u2019s tenacity hasn\u2019t gone unnoticed by the team at Wayne Metro.\r\n\r\n\u201cShe has strong survival skills and a very impressive character,\u201d Anne said.\r\n\r\nRenee understands that her story can serve as an inspiration and that\u2019s why she tells others to keep going.\r\n\r\n\u201cKeep trying to reach your goals even when it seems impossible,\u201d she said.\r\n\r\nA self-described caregiver, Renee said she plans to save this year\u2019s tax credit and one day open an adult foster care home.\r\n\r\n\u201cGod has picked me up and carried me this far. And now I know I can go even farther and help others.\u201d\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
    \r\n \t
  • <\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/section>","":null,"settings":""}}]},"yoast_head":"\nEarned Income Tax Credit helps families toward stability - United Way for Southeastern Michigan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/es\/impact-stories\/earned-income-tax-credit-helps-families-toward-stability\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_MX\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Earned Income Tax Credit helps families toward stability - United Way for Southeastern Michigan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/es\/impact-stories\/earned-income-tax-credit-helps-families-toward-stability\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"United Way for Southeastern Michigan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-12-17T15:27:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/uwsem-share-image-v2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/impact-stories\/earned-income-tax-credit-helps-families-toward-stability\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/impact-stories\/earned-income-tax-credit-helps-families-toward-stability\/\",\"name\":\"Earned Income Tax Credit helps families toward stability - United Way for Southeastern Michigan\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-04-01T18:58:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-17T15:27:42+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/impact-stories\/earned-income-tax-credit-helps-families-toward-stability\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/impact-stories\/earned-income-tax-credit-helps-families-toward-stability\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/impact-stories\/earned-income-tax-credit-helps-families-toward-stability\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Earned Income Tax Credit helps families toward stability\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/\",\"name\":\"United Way for Southeastern Michigan\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"es\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"United Way for Southeastern Michigan\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/uwsem-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/uwsem-logo.png\",\"width\":768,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"United Way for Southeastern Michigan\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Earned Income Tax Credit helps families toward stability - United Way for Southeastern Michigan","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/es\/impact-stories\/earned-income-tax-credit-helps-families-toward-stability\/","og_locale":"es_MX","og_type":"article","og_title":"Earned Income Tax Credit helps families toward stability - United Way for Southeastern Michigan","og_url":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/es\/impact-stories\/earned-income-tax-credit-helps-families-toward-stability\/","og_site_name":"United Way for Southeastern Michigan","article_modified_time":"2024-12-17T15:27:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/uwsem-share-image-v2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/impact-stories\/earned-income-tax-credit-helps-families-toward-stability\/","url":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/impact-stories\/earned-income-tax-credit-helps-families-toward-stability\/","name":"Earned Income Tax Credit helps families toward stability - United Way for Southeastern Michigan","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2019-04-01T18:58:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-17T15:27:42+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/impact-stories\/earned-income-tax-credit-helps-families-toward-stability\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"es","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/impact-stories\/earned-income-tax-credit-helps-families-toward-stability\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/impact-stories\/earned-income-tax-credit-helps-families-toward-stability\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Earned Income Tax Credit helps families toward stability"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/","name":"United Way para el sureste de Michigan","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"es"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/#organization","name":"United Way para el sureste de Michigan","url":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/uwsem-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/uwsem-logo.png","width":768,"height":768,"caption":"United Way for Southeastern Michigan"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/impact_story\/1172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/impact_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/impact_story"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/impact_story\/1172\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}