Since 1997, Urban Tech has partnered with the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Capacity Development Office (CCDO) and Weed & Seed sites, Community-based organizations and corporate partners to prepare residents for full participation in the information age by building technology centers as an engine for job training, youth development, health education and financial literacy. Urban Tech has installed more than 300 VITA and SEEDTECH Computer Training Centers across the country and provides technical assistance to partners in the VITA program.

The VITA (Voluntary Income Tax Assistance) program is one of the most successful programs for helping community residents help themselves out of poverty.

In previous tax seasons, such as 2007-2008, Weed and Seed Voluntary Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites were once again successful in processing over 34,000 returns worth $34,500,000 in tax credits and refunds. They saved their residents $10,000,000 in tax preparation fees equating to a total benefit of $44,500,000 to 107 communities and tribal nations across the country. This was an outstanding success with real and immediate returns to W&S communities.

We understand that the 2009-2010 tax code revisions will offer higher tax benefits and credits to those taxpayers who have been hit hard by this economic downturn; and VITA and EITC will play a vital role in restoring financial stability to families in your community.

Urban Tech partners with Weed and Seed and Community-based organizations to expand their VITA capacity with state-of-the-art hardware and software, capacity development and “train the trainer” workshops for financial literacy training for residents during the tax season. Financial education, offered to every person who walks into a VITA center, provides an introduction to the fundamentals of money management to help recipients of EITC/Child Care/Stimulus Credits budget their money and avoid predatory lending, one of the root causes of this economic downturn and persistent poverty in low-income communities.

If you are interested in learning more about a SeedTech Center or the Urban Tech Advantage, please contact Tom Bransford at Urban Tech by phone at 1-212-528-7350, or email: tbransford@urbantech.org.

For more information on Urban Tech and these programs and services, click the following links: