Community Resources Online | 2-1-1 | Where to Turn | Brochures | Archive | Crisis Clinic | Subscribe

Free Tax Preparation Available
For Individuals and Families:
United Way of King County offers free tax preparation assistance at 17 different locations in King County for people who made less than $50,000 last year. Tax sites are staffed by volunteers who can assist people in preparing their tax returns and provide information about tax credits that help working families increase their income and save money for the future.

AARP coordinates free income tax assistance programs from February 1 through April 15 each year. The service is available to people of all ages who are middle- and low-income.

Senior Services Income Tax Assistance provides information on locations of tax assistance sites and programs which will send income tax assistance volunteers to the homes of homebound seniors or people with disabilities. Program begins in February.

I-CAN! E-file offers free online community resource at www.icanefile.org that allows one to file their federal tax return by mail or by electronic filing at no cost. Free online chat is available to answer any questions about using I-CAN E-File. You can generally use I-CAN!™ E-file unless you or your employer have a non US address, own a business, are a church employee or clergy member, or sold real estate in 2009.

My Free Taxes is another free online tax filing program organized by H&R Block, Wal-Mart and United Way.

For Small Businesses:
Highline Community College StartZone’s Business Tax Center is offering free Schedule C tax preparation workshops and tax filing assistance. This program assists low-income small business owners in many ways:

·         Other low-income tax prep sites generally do not provide Schedule C filing assistance for sole proprietors with self-employment income.

·         Self-employed individuals are often not aware that the Earned Income Tax Credit and Making Work Pay Credit applies to self-employment income as well as W-2 wage income. As a result, small business owners fail to access one of the largest sources of federal funding available for asset and business development.

·         Small business owners can take this opportunity to learn about business finance as well as the many free and low-cost business development services in the area. This program can help low-income small business owners move from the informal economy (i.e., “cash only under the table”) to the formal economy where they have a better chance to grow their businesses and achieve economic self-sufficiency.

For more information and to schedule an appointment, contact Nigam Shah, StartZone's Business Tax Center Manager, by phone at (206) 878-3710, ext. 6510 or by email at nshah@highline.edu.

_{Return to the top}

King County Tax Exemptions
Under certain circumstances, you may be eligible for a property tax deferral or exemption.

Senior Citizens/Disabled Exemption
Qualifications include:

·         Annual household income of $35,000 or less

·         Own and occupy a house, mobile home, condo or co-op

·         61 years of age by Dec. 31 of the previous year, or retired because of physical disability or Veteran with a 100% service-connected disability

·         You are a widow, or widower, or state registered domestic partner at least 57 years of age whose spouse or state registered domestic partner had an exemption at the time of death

Once qualified, you continue to benefit from the exemption but any change in circumstances must be reported to the assessor to avoid penalties. For information, call (206) 296-3920 or download an application.

To apply for Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons Exemption, complete a Senior Citizen and Disabled Persons Reduction in Property Taxes Form. If you are not currently receiving SSI benefits, you must complete a Proof of Disability Form.

Senior Citizens/Disabled Deferral
If you are 60 or older or are retired because of physical disability and have an income of $40,000 or less, you may qualify for deferral of your property tax liability. Deferred taxes become a lien on your property. For information, call (206) 205-5759 or download an application.

Limited Income Deferral
If you meet qualification, you can defer 50 percent of your taxes and /or special assessments. To qualify, you must have owned your property for five years. The first half of your taxes, due April 30th, must be paid before applying for the deferral on your second installment due October 31st. The rate of interest for the deferral is based on an average of the federal short-term rate, plus 2%. The application deadline is Sept.1 of each year. The deferred taxes, plus accumulated interest, become a lien on your property. For more information, call (206) 296-3920 or get more detailed information in this publication. You can also download an application here.

 _{Return to the top}

Number of Homeless People in King County Drops 11% in 2011 One Night Count

Beginning at 2 am Jan. 28, 886 volunteers counted 2,442 people sleeping outdoors in King County. They counted children, adults, and seniors, some huddled in doorways, some sleeping in cars, others camped in green spaces or sheltered in makeshift campsites. Seattle King County Coalition for the Homeless organized more than 137 teams through 10 area headquarters in urban, suburban, and rural King County.

Counters returned to historical and new count areas in Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Woodinville, Shoreline, Kenmore Bothell, Seattle, White Center, Federal Way, Kent, Renton and Auburn. The 2011 One Night Count also collected information from select hospitals about emergency room usage, and from Metro night owl buses.

Volunteers counted 317 fewer people living in publicly-accessible parts of King County in 2011 than in those same areas in 2010. This represents an 11% decrease. The numbers of people counted outside are separate from roughly 6,000 people who were in area emergency shelters and transitional housing programs on the same night. Winter shelters in Seattle and Redmond meant that 149 people were inside who would otherwise have had no place to go. SKCCH is tracking how many families were turned away from shelters because they were full during the Count. The complete 2011 One Night Count Report will be released as soon as the other data are compiled.

_{Return to the top}

Critical Resource Updates 

Renovation work on the Congregate Meal Program space in the Bush Hotel in the International District is now under way. Seattle Chinatown International District Public Development Authority (SCIDPDA) will renovate this space which is occupied by its congregate meal program for low-income seniors. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of March 2011.

Issaquah Church & Community Services has changed its name to Issaquah Community Services. Its office is now located at 190 E Sunset Way, Issaquah, and the new phone number is (425) 837-3125.

The Center for Children & Youth Justice is currently accepting clients for its Lawyers Fostering Independence Program (LFI). LFI offers free legal help for 17-23 year olds who have been in foster care or kinship care. LFI’s volunteer attorneys give legal advice or direct representation on civil issues, including landlord/tenant, debt/credit, parenting plans, traffic tickets, social security benefits, sealing juvenile records, and more. For details, call (206) 696-7503 ext. 17 or lfiintake@ccyj.org.

The O'Kelly McCluskey Seattle Military Stress Recovery Project provides free ear acupuncture treatments to veterans and their families to help alleviate symptoms of stress and trauma at a walk-in clinic.

_{Return to the top}

February and March Resources
This column highlights timely resources in the community information database that might otherwise go unnoticed by our users. It is always recommended to check Community Resources Online for additional information and for the most current information concerning the following resources.

February Resources

National Eating Disorders Association
Sponsors National Eating Disorders Awareness Week held during the last week of February each year. Call for information and referral or access referral list on the website.

Stanley Stamm Children's Hospital Camp
Coordinates a week-long summer camp in August for children with medical problems that disqualify them from other camping programs. Applications are distributed beginning in February each year and the camp is usually full by April 1.

AARP - Seattle Office
Coordinates free income tax assistance programs from Feb 1 through April 15 each year. Service available to people of all ages who are middle- and low- income.

Master Builders Care Foundation
“Rampathon” weekend event coordinates volunteers who build wheelchair access ramps for low-income homeowners with long-term physical needs. Applications accepted through February annually for the May event.

March Resources

Highline Community College
Hosts an annual Women's Celebration and Women in Action Awards this spring. For information, call (206) 878-3710, Extension 3340 or e-mail Women's Programs at wopro@highline.edu.

Overlake Service League
Provides camp, summer school and tutoring scholarships for children in low-income families and children with disabilities. Must apply starting in March for camp and summer school. Apply for tutoring assistance year-round.

Families for Effective Autism Treatment - FEAT of Washington
Works with teens to improve their self-management and social problem-solving skills within a service learning context during two sessions in July. Students are enrolled May through June through FEAT's parent network. Applications are first distributed in March to the membership.

Resource Talk; Crisis Clinic's free monthly e-newsletter, provides critical resource changes, community events, feature articles on important health and human service topics and updates to the annual publication of the Where to Turn Plus directory. Click here to subscribe or unsubscribe to Resource Talk.
You may view past issues of Resource Talk by clicking here.

Crisis Clinic offers a variety of products to help connect people with critical resources. Information about purchasing Crisis Clinic's Where to Turn Directories, Where to Turn CD-ROMs, customized reports, customized mailing labels and holiday lists can be found online by clicking here.

Crisis Clinic respects the privacy of our Web site users.

For business purposes, please e-mail us at ResourceCenter@CrisisClinic.org or call us at (206) 461-3210. http://www.CrisisClinic.org

Crisis Clinic | Community Resources Online | Housing and Emergency Services Brochures
 Where to Turn Products | Archive | Subscribe