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San Diegans Desperately Need COVID-19 Relief: How UWSD Is Helping

By |2021-05-28T16:17:05-07:00March 25th, 2020|Categories: Family Stability, Featured|

San Diegans Desperately Need COVID-19 Relief: How UWSD Is Helping

San Diego Worker Assistance Initiative



The Toll Coronavirus is Taking On Our Community

The current Coronavirus crisis can be very stressful for people. We’ve suddenly changed our way of life to prevent the spread of what can be a deadly virus. Around the world and in our own community, daily life has drastically changed. People are experiencing fear of getting sick. Fear for their loved ones, especially vulnerable individuals, such as the elderly and immunocompromised. People are stocking up on food and supplies, such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Stores that are open are struggling to keep shelves full. There’s a lot of uncertainty right now. For the most vulnerable in our community, there’s also fear of losing basic necessities such as food and shelter because of lost income.

Not Everyone Can Work from Home or Stop Working 

For many, the Coronavirus means working from home. Others aren’t so lucky, as their jobs don’t translate to remote work. Consider the people who work in the industries currently shutdown by California’s shelter-in-place order. If you take tickets at the movie theater, you can’t do that from home. If you work at a theme park, you can’t do that from home. Even if you work in a restaurant that’s staying open, your tips may have dried up seemingly overnight. For many people in our community, tips are integral to their economic security. 

Some people are working jobs on the frontlines of the crisis, whether in healthcare or at a grocery store, convenience store, or other necessary business. But they too, can be unlucky. If an individual or a loved one is sick, they may need to take unpaid time off work.

The problem isn’t just translating jobs to remote work. It’s lost work. 

Already, 1 in 5 US workers has experienced layoffs or reduced hours

UWSD always has a pulse of what’s going on in our community, and now is no different. We are directly witnessing the strain Coronavirus is causing people who are economically vulnerable – people living paycheck to paycheck. This aligns with what we are seeing across the United States:

  • 18%, or 1 in 5 US workers, has experienced layoffs or reduced hours (LA Times, Survey released by NPR, PBS NewsHour and Marist) 
  • The number is higher – 25% – for individuals making less than $50,000 a year

During our 100-year history, we have always been here for those who need additional support, and the current health crisis of Coronavirus is no different.

The Worker Assistance Initiative 

As part of the COVID-19 Community Response Fund, United Way of San Diego County is hosting a Worker Assistance Initiative (WAI) – specifically designed to support individuals in need. The Initiative provides flexible resources to individuals impacted by layoffs and reduced working hours implemented by employers in response to crisis situations and emergencies. 

We are working together with our partners to care for those who need it most. But we need your help, too. 

How It Works

Here’s how we’re helping people pay their bills:

  1. Individuals and organizations donate to the Worker Assistance Initiative
  2. Applicants tell us what bills they have, and who needs to be paid using an English or Spanish application
  3. UWSD directly pays landlords, mortgage companies, and utility providers

Currently, the need is outpacing supply

We are getting flooded with applicants looking for relief. Hundreds of San Diegans applied on the first day alone and the number of applicants is now over 3,000, with more than $4,277,430 in support requested. What we are hearing is that people in our community are experiencing a sudden and severe impact on their income that will affect their ability to cover basic necessities for their families. This includes:

  • Getting sick with no paid leave
  • Losing the job of the family’s only breadwinner
  • Needing to stay home, without PTO or sick time, to protect a family member with cancer who is immunocompromised

People who are experiencing this kind of financial burden come from all kinds of jobs, including restaurants, real estate, hair stylists, health care, drivers for rideshare companies, transportation, events, hospitality, hotels tourism, education, childcare, fitness studios/gyms, bookkeeping, pet care, retail, construction, landscaping, beauty, personal care, massage, and more. 

Why Is United Way of San Diego County (UWSD) Uniquely Positioned to Deliver on This?

UWSD is uniquely positioned to process and deploy capital quickly and efficiently to individuals, as we currently administer SDG&E’s Neighbor to Neighbor Fund. The WAI is designed to complement the work of public health officials and to ensure funding for the basic needs of utility bills and rent/mortgage payments to prevent the need to enter the social services system of care and prevent homelessness.

This type of collaboration between community partners, including nonprofits, businesses, and social service organizations, is what UWSD does year-round. We are experts in identifying where the greatest need is, aligning partners, and leveraging resources. We hope you will join us.

What Can You Do?

Take action! There are many ways to help, including:

Donate 

Volunteer

Need Help?

Apply for the Worker Assistance Initiative in English

Apply for the Worker Assistance Initiative in Spanish

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Free and Easy Tax Filing

By |2021-05-27T09:53:37-07:00November 6th, 2019|Categories: Family Stability|

Free and Easy Tax Filing

woman gets help with her taxes



United Way Digital Marketing Manager Claudia Chow usually completes her taxes in under an hour, but as someone whose day revolves around sharing how UWSD helps others in the community, she thought she’d find out firsthand. Earlier this year, she had her taxes done — for free! — at a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site in Plaza Bonita Mall. Her impression: Easy-peasy.

“I filled out a preliminary questionnaire when I arrived and was able to ask questions when I got to the table,” she explained. “Later, you can decide to store your information with the tax site so that next year’s filling is simpler and quicker.”

The VITA program offers free tax help to those who make $56,000 or less; IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals. The 54 VITA sites across the county are part of the annual Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) campaign, led by United Way, in partnership with the IRS, the County Health and Human Services Agency’s Community Action Partnership, 2-1-1 San Diego, Dreams for Change, and a number of other partner organizations.

“All the volunteers were very helpful, although they were super busy,” Claudia says (she recommends making an appointment).

It also helps that information is available in multiple languages, including Spanish and Vietnamese, as English may not be the first language for many lower-income taxpayers.

“I was happy to see how the volunteers helped each other get the work done right. Nothing fancy going on here—just tables, chairs, and their own computers—but they finish quickly, and every return is double checked, so no more second guessing myself!”

In addition to swift and accurate tax filing, Claudia’s visit to the VITA site reflects her own work ethic. “I wanted to be more invested in United Way’s work, to see the quality of our partnerships. Now, when I talk about it, I can say I have personal experience.”

Wonder if you qualify for free tax preparation assistance? To find out, schedule an appointment at one of 54 VITA sites by calling 2-1-1 or visit myfreetaxes.org

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Ron Wicks: Tax Prep Superman

By |2021-05-28T16:13:58-07:00April 15th, 2019|Categories: Family Stability, Volunteer|

Ron Wicks: Tax Prep Superman

Ron Wicks stands in front of the camera and smiles



At the end of 2018, as Ron Wicks headed (reluctantly) into retirement from the IRS, he sat down to talk about his legacy: playing a key role in helping to bring millions of dollars back to our County through a partnership with United Way, the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA), County of San Diego Health & Human Service Agency (HHSA), and multiple other key non-profit partners.

As an IRS Senior Stakeholder Relationship Tax Consultant for San Diego County since 2001, Ron has been a guiding, gracious force of the hugely successful San Diego Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Coalition, led by the United Way, which has offered free tax preparation services to low-income taxpayers with a cadre of volunteers who help taxpayers determine if they’re eligible to claim federal tax credits, such as the EITC and the Child Tax Credit.

How did a program go from bringing $500,000 back in federal refunds in 2003 to Tax Year 2017’s $40 million? Let’s listen to Ron as he tells the tale…

About EITC

“State and Federal Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) are cash-back tax credits for working individuals and families. With the combined state and federal credits, qualifying families can receive hundreds, or even thousands back just by filing their taxes.”

About the beginning

“I made a presentation in 2002-2003 to the county supervisors, who gave us $50,000. Along with another partner, we received additional funding from the Anne E. Casey Foundation. We started with a site in Escondido with the support of the North County Collaborative and in the south, The Bronze Triangle Community Development Corporation. That first year we brought back $500,000 in federal refunds – probably 3,000 returns.”

Success in 2018

“In 2018 [tax year 2017] the San Diego EITC Coalition served over 31,000 individual households by providing free tax preparation. That resulted in more than $40 million in Federal and State refunds [8,244 of those households received over $14 million in Federal EITC refunds].”

Why the program was successful

“The Community Action Partnership [CAP], under the umbrella of the Health & Human Service Agency [HHSA], which administers programs that help low-income families, saw the potential numbers we could bring in if we could just get people involved to file their taxes. ‘Let’s see if we can do it,’ they said. On the flight back from a statewide CAP conference, the CAP Director asked me, ‘What do you think about putting a requirement to do the EITC with our family self-sufficiency contracts [for those seeking rental assistance]?’ That’s really how it blew up.”

About United Way’s critical role

“United Way’s partnership and participation helped us go county wide. They helped get the partners involved and up to speed and showed them how important EITC was, not just for the refunds but to comply with tax law. And, as we progressed and increased our impact, United Way helped with outreach and translation into other languages.”

About expanding countywide & horse-trading

“At the time we were looking to expand, AARP TaxAide sites were only doing taxes for people 55 and older. That was their focus; they didn’t want to be involved with the VITA Program. AARP TaxAide was always asking me for additional IRS-loaned equipment to serve more taxpayers. The CAP director wanted to expand the VITA Program countywide, so I set up a meeting with AARP’s state coordinator and the CAP director, who asked the AARP State Coordinator, ‘What do you need?’ They said, ‘Computers and printers.’”

“The CAP Director had a discretionary fund, so the director said, ‘I’m willing to give AARP TaxAide $75,000 towards purchasing computers and printers if you’ll open your doors to low-income taxpayers below 55.” The AARP State Coordinator said yes. Now we had countywide access to the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites plus the AARP TaxAide sites.”

About Comic-Con comparison

“In 2010, a senior policy analyst at National University System Institute for Policy Research examined the impact of EITC in San Diego County. Among his key findings that year:

  • 1 out of 4 EITC-eligible taxpayers fail to claim the credit, forfeiting tens of millions of dollars each year
  • The annual direct spending of EITC refunds in San Diego County is more than three times greater than the direct economic impact of Comic‐Con.

“People think of Comic-Con and all this revenue coming into San Diego, but equating it with EITC puts it on a whole different level. If all this was the case nine years ago, it’s probably even truer today.”

About his retirement…

“I want to ensure that the next person who plays this part has all the tools they need to make this even more successful. I hope our partnership with United Way continues— it’s a big part of our program and why it works. I mean, 30,000+ tax returns, $40 million in refunds. That’s a huge benefit to our community.”

About trust & leaving legacies

“I always volunteered at the free tax sites. People would come in apprehensive, worried about money, worried about the IRS. And they’d walk out knowing they had a $3,000 to $5,000 refund coming! When I started in 2002, I tried to take the IRS out of the equation — just the name. I tried to get people to trust me as Ron. You have to build up trust … a trust that people who come into these sites will feel safe. Then they’ll go home and tell their friends to file their taxes. That’s our biggest marketing tool, word of mouth. But first, you must have trust.”

“I’m so proud that, being a native San Diegan, I was able to help create this program and have it be successful and so impactful to so many people. Honestly, I’m very sad to leave it.”

Ron, we’re wishing you the best in whatever you do next: teaching students, writing books, and continuing to volunteer. We thank you for all your years of dedication, perseverance, and service to the San Diego Community and for the hundreds of thousands of San Diego County taxpayers whose lives you changed.

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3 Reasons Affordable Housing is Important to Your Community

By |2021-04-23T11:44:14-07:00March 25th, 2016|Categories: Family Stability|

3 Reasons Affordable Housing is Important to Your Community

Does your community have an appropriate amount of affordable housing? Rents and home prices in many American towns, including San Diego, have risen beyond the reach of the average working family. Yet, an adequate supply of budget friendly residences is essential to community health. If there aren’t homes for workers, you may need to advocate for a better municipal housing policy. An appropriate housing policy can contribute to your community’s health in several important ways:

#1 It’s Good for the Environment

In some parts of the county, teachers, police officers, nurses, and other workers cannot afford housing near their workplaces. Instead, they must travel long distances from more reasonably-priced suburbs. These long commutes burn fossil fuels, produce smog, and clog roads. With adequate affordable housing, the people who make your community work can live near their jobs. This will dramatically cut energy use and pollution.

#2 It’s Good for the Social Structure

Communities without affordable housing quickly become segregated by income and family background. In order to promote economic and social diversity, your community needs to provide for the needs of all families. Well-placed affordable housing developments allow communities to welcome a wide range of families and to create a vibrant, diverse, group of residents.

#3 It’s Good for the Economy

In order to thrive, new businesses need easy access to workers. Affordable housing developments ensure that working families will remain in your community. These working families provide the labor that makes the economy grow. In addition, encouraging working families to settle in your community will help provide a growing population of students to keep your local school system healthy and strong. Reasonably priced rentals and houses will also allow families to remain in your community even when they experience temporary job loss, a disruption to the family, or an illness or other crisis.

When families can remain in your community, they become part of the social fabric and advance the common good. Reasonably priced housing creates stability, community, and engagement. Start advocating today and protect the families of tomorrow.

What do you think about affordable housing in San Diego? Share this post on social media with your opinion and hopes for the future.

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