thumbnail_IMG_0985 (1)

October: Self-Employed Tax Program

by Economic Well-being ProgramsNews and Events

Center for Family Life’s Self-Employed Tax Program (SETP) was proud to present at the annual Prosperity Summit in Washington DC. This prestigious event unites thousands of professionals who are dedicated to ensuring that everyone has a clear path to financial stability, wealth, and prosperity. Our SETP staff were invited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) to share our experience providing professional tax services to self-employed workers.

Our presentation highlighted key challenges that our community faces when going through the tax filing process, including financial constraints, language barriers, lack of understanding of tax obligations, insufficient knowledge of record-keeping and income tracking, distrust of government agencies, and the need for a filing history to access credit and capital for business growth. To address these challenges, the SETP offers free professional tax preparation, consultations, and workshops to low-income communities in Brooklyn. Last year, our SETP hosted 15 workshops, filed over 400 tax returns, and saved over $246,000 in service fees for clients.

thumbnail_IMG_0974 (3)

To ensure these services reach those who need them the most, the SETP relies on a network of community outreach efforts, including partnerships with other community-based organizations, referrals from the IRS, and word of mouth. With services available in English, Spanish, Urdu, and Bengali, the SETP is committed to bridging the communication gap and building trust within diverse communities. 

An SETP Impact Story (name changed for client confidentiality): 

After newly arriving to the United States, a housekeeper named Maria faced challenges filing her taxes for the first time. With limited English proficiency and little understanding of tax compliance, she was unsure how to navigate this unfamiliar and convoluted system. Maria was grateful to work with the SETP in her native language, and to receive assistance preparing and filing her 2023 tax return. She was pleasantly surprised to learn that she was eligible for refunds from both the IRS and the state of New York, and she feels confident that she will meet her tax obligations now that she has the knowledge and tools to track her income.

By providing free reliable and professional tax services, the SETP empowers individuals to build a strong financial foundation, paving the way for economic growth and sustainability in our communities. If you or someone you know is self-employed and could benefit from these free services, we encourage you to make an appointment with the SETP by calling 718-438-9500 or by visiting us at our Main Office.

quality-clf-1-crop-fc9328bf7ca57d1ba8fb381754e9e0c499cf7915dea4c8d74bf2d95c56df9808

July: Our Cooperative Business Development Program

by Economic Well-being ProgramsNews and Events

At Center for Family Life, our Cooperative Business Development Program (CDP) organizes community members to create worker-owned cooperative businesses with the mission of economic and social justice. Through Center for Family Life’s holistic, neighborhood-rooted approach, CDP builds leadership and coaches cooperative members, cultivates relationships to strengthen the cooperative movement, and generates and shares best practices and models for cooperative growth. 

Here are some of the program’s recent highlights!

Up & Go Image

Click the photo above to learn more about Up & Go’s services!

Up & Go celebrated its 7-year anniversary in May! When Up & Go launched in 2017 with the support of the CDP, it was the first worker-owned web platform for booking cleaning services in New York City. Since its inception, the cooperative has expanded to all five boroughs and beyond New York State. Last June, Up & Go officially launched in South Philadelphia and currently, Up & Go is looking to onboard new members in Detroit!

To book an appointment with Up & Go, click here.

The CDP offered new free workshops to cooperative members and to the broader community! These include computer literacy and English classes for domestic workers, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) trainings. These classes and trainings are important to cooperative entrepreneurs because they help them to build concrete skills that are essential to start and grow a small business.

IMG_9867 (3)

Our CDP joined The NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) as they celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the Worker Cooperative Business Development Initiative (WCBDI). The event included a panel discussion comprised of cooperative members who shared inspiring stories and program reflections. We are incredibly grateful for the WCBDI for supporting the creation, growth, and sustainability of cooperative businesses which provide a path for New Yorkers to access employment, build wealth, and gain entrepreneurial skills.

IMG_0596 (2)

Our Cooperative Business Development Program has helped incubate over 20 cooperatives since its inception and it continues to provide essential supportive resources, trainings, and classes to cooperative members and the broader community. Through this work, the CDP helps cooperative members obtain access to jobs with fair and stable salaries and to gain control over their time and the business.

Thank you for supporting us and our Cooperative Business Development Program. These highlights wouldn’t be possible without all of you!

ExtraMile24_FB

Save the Date: The Extra Mile 2024

by Economic Well-being ProgramsNews and Events

We are delighted to announce that we will be holding our annual staff recognition Extra Mile event in-person on Wednesday June 5th, from 6-8pm at L’Wren in Sunset Park, Brooklyn!

 

Please join us here in Sunset Park and meet some of our amazing ESOL staff and students as we celebrate the strength of our life long learners!

 

Since the fall of 2022, very high numbers of newly arrived individuals and families have come to our immigrant community in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The majority share stories of difficult passages here to the US and most continue to experience challenges as they establish their new lives in Sunset Park. New arrivals come to Center for Family Life looking for a variety of supports to build new lives for themselves and their families, and most have a pressing need to learn English so that they can find work and make the most of their new lives in NYC. Our ESOL staff team has gone above and beyond to support new arrivals and to encourage them as they move forward in their journey to learn English.

 

Come celebrate our incredible ESOL staff and hear directly from staff and students in our program about what the program means to them!

 

You can purchase tickets for the event by clicking here!

image8
IMG_2182 (1)

February: Taxes

by Economic Well-being ProgramsNews and Events

Here at Center for Family Life, we continue our decades-long commitment to providing professional VITA tax filing services to thousands of clients in our community and beyond! These services, which are generously funded by the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and NYU Langone, are crucial for the low-income families that we serve. Certified tax preparers guide clients through the complicated tax filing process, alleviating the stress associated with filing and ensuring that all filers get their full refund. The returns that families receive from filing their taxes have a huge impact on the household resources available to families to meet basic needs and have a significant positive economic benefit to our community as a whole. We are proud that last year our VITA Tax Filing Program helped file over 3,720 returns, yielding a total refund amount of $4,406,719!

This year we are excited to offer free VITA tax filing services at two sites in Brooklyn! Appointments are available five days per week at our main office and three days per week at the NYU Langone, Brooklyn Family Support Center, our community partners. Those that qualify for our services include single filers with incomes of $59,000 or less in 2023 as well as families with incomes of $85,000 or less in 2023. We make the process as easy and efficient as possible to save our clients time and money!

IMG_2219

A Client Story:

Sophia (named changed to protect her confidentiality) traveled to Sunset Park for our free tax prep services for the first time this year. She has often paid over $150 in fees to prepare her taxes, but decided to make an appointment at CFL after learning about the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection’s Free Tax Prep Program from a co-worker. Sophia was so grateful to receive free tax filing assistance from a trusted and certified filer, allowing her to put the money she would have spent on tax filing assistance into her savings and towards a greater financial goal.

A Reflection from a Volunteer:

“I would like to acknowledge the herculean efforts of Victor, from the CFL tax program. He is patient and professional in his dealings with me. What a pro! Most importantly, he cares about the clients. Last Thursday, he graciously handled a multi-year return for an older adult who at times seemed confused. Yesterday, he helped a head-of-house mother who is also a graduate student. Thanks to his hard work, this person may receive an impressive return. It’s a joy coming to the office and working with your staff. They care about the clients and selflessly help them.”

In addition to our VITA Tax Prep Program, we also have a Self-Employed Tax Prep Program (SETP) which offers year-round service for small business owners, gig workers and freelancers. Through this program, we offer free resources including specialized tax prep, workshops and group sessions, one-on-one consultations, toolkits and more! Appointments are available five days per week at our main office and are completely free of charge. These services are essential as self-employed individuals often struggle to keep financial records and file their taxes accurately and on time.

Our VITA and SETP tax teams work hard each day to ensure that individuals in our community are aware of the services that we offer and that they receive the best care possible when working with our staff. We are incredibly grateful to DCWP, the IRS and NYU Langone for funding these programs and are so glad that we can help bring financial resources back to our community!

IMG_1436 (2)

January: ActionNYC

by Economic Well-being ProgramsNews and Events

Center for Family Life is honored to be one of the ActionNYC providers within the five boroughs, providing free and trusted immigration legal support to immigrant New Yorkers. ActionNYC is administered by the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), the Department of Social Services/Human Resources Administration (DSS-HRA) and the Research Foundation of the City University of New York. Through ActionNYC, trained legal navigators conduct legal screenings and licensed attorneys provide high-quality legal supports to clients. In addition, navigators make referrals to essential social services that clients may need. Services are provided to New Yorkers regardless of legal status and are offered in any language.

Since the start of the program, we have helped thousands of individuals in Sunset Park and throughout New York City, providing life changing services to individuals and families.

With the influx of new arrivals in New York City beginning in September 2022, the need for free immigration legal services has only increased. To support these new arrivals, our staff provided information sessions at NYC’s Central Navigation Center during the first half of 2023, providing over 100 workshops and serving over 1,000 people. Today, our ActionNYC team continues to screen new arrivals, make referrals and directly assist with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Employment Authorization applications.

Many of the clients we serve through the ActionNYC program have experienced significant trauma and violence and are seeking protection in the U.S. for themselves and their families. We are proud to serve these individuals and families through ActionNYC and a number of other CFL services including a food pantry, public benefits access, employment services, English as a second language classes, immigrant trauma treatment and family counseling. We are thankful that the ActionNYC program exists to protect the rights of immigrants and help them to navigate through complicated and consequential legal processes.

We are delighted to share a recent success story which highlights the importance of ActionNYC and its impact on immigrant families’ lives.

In the late 1990s, Sarai arrived from Guatemala to the U.S. after being a victim of intimate personal violence in her marriage in Guatemala. Since her children’s father worked for the Guatemalan police department, Sarai had no choice but to leave her children behind as she sought safety in the U.S. Once in the U.S., Sarai again fell victim to intimate personal violence from her sibling, who abused her for years as she struggled to gain stability in her life in the U.S. After finding the courage to report her abuse to local authorities, she received help to find shelter and protection. In 2017, Sarai came to CFL for immigration legal help, where we assisted her with filing a petition for a U visa, which provides a pathway to citizenship for victims of violence, as well as two Humanitarian visas for her children who desperately wanted to be reunited with their mother. Sarai’s U visa was finally approved in November 2023 and her children’s Humanitarian visas were approved at the end of last year. Sarai’s family was overjoyed at news of the approvals and cannot wait to be reunited. Our entire ActionNYC team was also overjoyed and one of our Legal Navigator’s, Lois Torres, said Sarai invited the team to go with her to the airport to celebrate the family’s reunion as she is so grateful for all of their help over the years.

*Name changed to protect our client’s confidentiality.

ActionNYC is a critically important program that helps ensure the stability and well-being of immigrant communities in New York and helps provide equal access to legal services. We are proud to be an ActionNYC provider and to support our diverse immigrant community as they face unprecedented challenges.