Title
a. Ratify authorization for the Department of Social Services submittal of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Grant application for Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) funds to expand the VITA program in Fiscal Year 2014-15 for an amount up to $59,788; and
b. Approve and authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services, or his designee, to sign an agreement with The Department of Community Services and Development (CSD) to expand the existing VITA program in Monterey County for the period September 1, 2014 through May 31, 2015 if grant is awarded and it is approved as a standard state form contract by County Counsel.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Ratify authorization for the Department of Social Services submittal of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Grant application for Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) funds to expand the VITA program in Fiscal Year 2014-15 for an amount up to $59,788; and
b. Approve and authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services, or his designee, to sign an agreement with The Department of Community Services and Development (CSD) to expand the existing VITA program in Monterey County for the period September 1, 2014 through May 31, 2015 if grant is awarded and it is approved as a standard state form contract by County Counsel.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
In 2014 the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program prepared 2,384 tax returns resulting in approximately $3 million coming back to the local economy. Monterey County VITA is planning to expand these services in 2015 if awarded the CSBG grant which will result in a more significant increase in financial resources to the community. The Department of Community Services and Development (CSD) is accepting applications for funding to expand existing VITA Programs. The goal is to continue the increase of tax returns prepared for low-income individuals. This funding will also assist in expanding the number of tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for those eligible families. EITC is one of the most powerful resources for helping to lift low-income eligible individuals out of poverty each year and is also associated with encouraging individuals to work.
Monterey County Community Action Partnership plans to continue collaboration with the United Way Monterey County (UWMC) by subcontracting the grant funds, if awarded, to expand the existing VITA program. The Monterey County collaborative EarnIt!KeepIt!$aveIt! (EK$) manages the existing VITA program and is headed by UWMC. The EK$ collaborative has a diverse and extensive prior experience to working with the underserved low-income populations; and the hard to reach areas including limited English proficient and rural communities.
Due to the timeline constraints of the grant application submission, the Department of Social Services signed and mailed the required application back to CSD by the due date. The award letters will be issued on July25th, with services beginning September 1st. If awarded, the state is requiring a tight turnaround by August 22, 2014. Therefore, the Department is recommending that the Board authorize the Director of Social Services, or his designee, to sign the standard state form agreement with the Department of Community Services after County Counsel has reviewed and approved the agreement.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Monterey County Community Action Partnership (CAP) plans to continue collaboration with the UWMC and all the VITA partners and sponsors to expand the program in 2015. VITA partners include: Center for Employment Training, the One-Stop Career Centers, Shoreline Workforce Development Center Services, Heald College, CSUMB, Internal Revenue Service, and Hartnell College.
If the County is awarded this grant, the Department will submit the standard State agreement, which is not available at this time, to County Counsel for review and approval before it is executed.
FINANCING:
If awarded, funding for this agreement will be provided by the Department of Community Services and Development which administers the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Discretionary funding. The Department will return at a future date to increase appropriations and estimated revenues if the grant is awarded and when the final Calendar Year 2015 CSGB Allocation has been determined. There is no impact to the County General Fund.
Prepared by: Margarita Zarraga, Program Manager, x8492
Approved by: Elliott Robinson, Director, x4434
Attachments: VITA Grant Application
The grant application is on file with the Clerk of the Board as an attachment to this Board Report.