Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Volunteer

COMMUNITY PARTNER

International Rescue Committee

ABOUT THE INTERNSHIP

Duties

The position serves as a volunteer for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program at the IRC in Phoenix.  Activities will include: completion of all necessary training to become a qualified VITA Site volunteer, prepare and file income tax reports for IRC clients and other eligible individuals and families, complete all necessary documentation and reports, maintain confidentiality of client documents and information, and any other duties consistent with the role of VITA Site volunteer.

Population served

Since opening in 1994, the International Rescue Committee in Phoenix has helped resettle over 12,000 refugees from countries such as Iraq, Iran, Bhutan, Burma, Somalia, Congo, Sudan, and Eretria. The Phoenix office is the largest resettlement program in the state of Arizona and offers a holistic approach to resettlement through the provision of diverse programming. Staff members represent more than 26 countries of origin and more than 40 different language capacities.  At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities IRC works to restore safety, dignity, and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure.  The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

Community need/impact

Many refugee clients have no prior experience with filing taxes.  This is often times a new concept to them that needs to be explained.  This direct service opportunity provides the volunteer to help refugees in fling their taxes and understanding how to do it correctly.

This direct service opportunity positively impacts the refugee community by providing trained volunteers to assist with tax filing.  Understanding this process is helpful for refugee clients and allows them to understand how our tax system in the U.S. functions.  By filing a tax return, additional financial resources may become available to refugees.