Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara welcoming walk-ins for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance across Santa Barbara County

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is getting busy as the deadline for tax filing approaches.

The VITA program connects local households making $67,000 or less with IRS-certified volunteers.

When it comes to taxes, Anna Jimenez has been on both sides of the table. 

“I was a single parent paying for someone to do my income taxes, and I didn’t know that there was a volunteer program," said Jimenez.

Not only did Jimenez discover the VITA Program offers free tax services, she’s now preparing taxes for others. 

"Everyone that comes in are so grateful when they come to the end of their process," said Jimenez.

The volunteers prepare and file taxes for free at local sites throughout the community. 

Organizers of the program say as part of tax season, services are ramping up.

“The demand is very high … every year we increase our numbers served and it’s going as smooth as can be," said housing programs analyst Frank Quezada of the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara.

The volunteer tax preparers file over 3,000 tax returns each year, returning over $2M back to the local community. 

“Any given year, we could have 8 10 12 different different sites where we provide free, no cost tax preparation services for the low income, senior and disabled community," said Quezada.

This free service provided by the VITA program will continue from now through April 15.

“A lot of families will receive tax returns that really help them … you know get through the year … whether that means putting into a savings account," said program manager Yoseline Gonzales of the United Way of Santa Barbara County.

The 2024 program is currently operating at seven locations throughout the county.

These locations include UCSB, the Santa Barbara Public Library’s Eastside Branch, and the Goleta Valley Community Center. 

"I hope is that they all are informed that we have a volunteer program and that they take advantage of it and participate," said Jimenez.

The program also supports families with extension filing and other tax services beyond tax season.  

Thanks to increased statewide funding for the program, United Way’s VITA program also provides year-round tax assistance.

For more information, visit: https://www.unitedwaysb.org/vita.