United Way of Bay Area Funds Free Tax Assistance for Canal Alliance Clients

From February 3 through April 13, 2024, up to 400 clients of Canal Alliance’s Immigration Legal Services, Social Services, Workforce Development, Adult Education, or Youth Education program can take advantage of free support to complete their tax forms.  

Tax assistance is provided every Saturday from 10am to 4pm by trained volunteers who have completed their IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) certification. Volunteers are already hard at work helping Canal Alliance clients to complete their tax returns and to answer any questions about their tax status and eligibility for refunds from the IRS or the Franchise Tax Board.  

The program is funded by a $30,000 grant from United Way of Bay Area, which oversees Free Tax Help, a coalition of local partners who provide free tax help to clients throughout the Bay Area. Free Tax Help is committed to serving program participants through five guiding values: Client and Volunteer Experience delivered with dignity and respect; Equity in prioritizing services for marginalized populations; Quality to ensure a high-quality tax return; Education to ensure that taxpayers fully understand their return; and Collaboration to ensure a well-integrated coalition.

Thanks to this generous grant, Canal Alliance can now offer free tax assistance to the low-income Latino immigrants living in San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood who rely on so many of our services and programs.