Thanks to you, more than 2,300 public housing residents and other community members got free, expert help filing their taxes. The payo� was huge: $2.3 million dollars in tax rebates to help families pay for food, housing, and other critical needs.

You deserve a big hand.

You put $1.1 million back into the pockets of low-income families as ERDA helped more than a thousand residents access the Earned Income Tax Credit.

The Earned Income Tax Credit helps families with more than just

short-term needs. Children of EITC recipients do better in school, are likelier to attend college, and earn

more as adults, according to a 2013 study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Since 2005 ERDA has helped more than 10,000 families file their taxes and get back more than $17 million in tax rebates, money pumped back into the local economy.

Marleny Acevedo, who lives in public housing in Long Island City, got tax prep help from ERDA. A mother of two, Marleny is expecting a tax refund of more than $13,000.

At a press conference on April 8, 2013, Edwin Garcia urged others to take advantage of ERDA’s tax assistance program. Edwin is due to get a tax refund of more than $12,000, money he will use to care for his 12-year old son and to pay for training to become a chef.

Tax assistance is just the first stop for many who come to ERDA. Edwin and Marleny opened a bank account at ERDA’s credit union last week and now have access to a savings account, personal loans, certificates of deposit and other financial services. Marleny even opened accounts for her children.

Thanks to you, Edwin, Marleny and thousands of others are on a path to a brighter future.