Long Beach’s Martin Luther King Center, now under the leadership of board chair Sheena Curry, has been awarded a grant of nearly $150,000 by the federal government. The money will be earmarked for the creation of a specialized financial clinic that will offer the community free tax planning, preparation and guidance.
Low Income Taxpayer Clinics are a nationwide network recognized by the Internal Revenue Service that provide professional tax assistance at little to no cost. They are intended to help those with limited incomes, and those for whom English is a second language, navigate tax challenges and disputes with the IRS.
LITCs were created in 1974 — the nation’s first clinic was hosted by the Hofstra University Law School — and the program has received federal funding annually since 1998. The MLK Center grant is part of a total of $26 million that will be divided in varying amounts among 140 applicants across the country.
“The IRS awarding this grant speaks to the competency and professionalism of the new leadership at the MLK Center,” Long Beach City Manager Daniel Creighton said. “These services build upon an ever-increasing number of programs and resources offered at the center, which is again becoming a tremendous asset to the Long Beach community.”
The center is one of only three locations in Nassau County that will offer this type of volunteer tax consultation, and the only community center — LITCs are typically set up in certified public accountants’ offices. A community center offers a more accessible, and potentially less intimidating, meeting place, with the same credentialed assistance.
“EARN (the Economic Advancement Resources Network) will be one of only a few of the 140 IRS-funded clinics nationwide that is not operated by a law school or a legal services organization,” Explained Christina Curry, co-founder of the financial program organizing the clinic and sister of the board chair.
“Instead, it will be housed within a community-based organization, something we are especially proud to bring to Long Beach with the support of the city and through the MLK Center.”
The tax clinic is just one of the latest initiatives chairwoman Curry has introduced. The center currently offers a food pantry, after-school tutoring for children, social activities for seniors, sports and fitness facilities and a computer lab, as well as a blossoming music and podcast project for interested youths. Now, during tax season, it will help community members prepare their taxes and work to resolve any payment problems they may have, all on a pro bono basis through partnerships with law firms and CPAs whose employees will volunteer their time.
Curry’s next step, as part of the grant’s requirement, was to attend the annual LITC Grantee Conference in Alexandria, Virginia, which took place this week. At the meeting, grant recipients learn about the best uses of the funding, as well as the regulations and oversight that come with it.
The MLK Center expects to begin offering in-person consultations, and expert tax advice, in February.
