5th year of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) starts Sat, Jan 21st.  

Our office will be open to complete returns on the following days and times:

• Tuesdays from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
• Wednesdays from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
• Saturdays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

 How can you get your tax return done for free?

Call 211 from a land line if?

• You made less than $50,000 in gross income during 2011 (Including W-2 wages, Unemployment, Retirement, Interest, etc)
• You don’t have a complicated return (Rental income, Self-employed with employees or inventory, or other unusual tax situations)
• You did not receive Forms 1099-C or 1099-A, which are related to the cancellation of debt

Last Year’s Results

During 2011 we prepared over 1,300 returns and brought back just under $2,000,000 to Weber County in refunds and estimated tax preparation fees saved.  We had just over 30 volunteers involved with the program that gave over 1,100 hours of service.  We want to thank our volunteers and community sponsors for helping us to run one of the best VITA sites in the state.

What is VITA?

The VITA program is a partnership between the Internal Revenue Services (IRS), community-based organizations like Earn It, Keep It, Save It and Cottages of Hope, and community volunteers that provides free tax preparation services to low-to moderate-income households. IRS certified volunteers receive training to help prepare basic tax returns in their community.

To find out more about the VITA program or to see more of the program results, click here.

Cottages of Hope is excited to start 2012 off with another “Stretch Your Bucks…Without Breaking Your Back” finance series.  This four-part series, starting Thursday, January 5th, covers the basics of good sound money management.  Households that complete all four classes become eligible to apply for the Individual Development Account (IDA) matched savings program.  This is a $3 to $1 match savings program where the money can be used to purchase a home, pay for post-secondary education (college), or to start a small business.

Call (801) 393-4011 for more details or to enroll.

“Kick the Habit For the Holidays”

Cottages of Hope is excited to host an adult cessation (Quit Smoking) series that will help our clients and other community members make a healthy habit change and at the same time save money for the Holidays.  Certified instructors will facilitate an 8 week course that will follow the American Lung Association curriculum.  On Friday, Oct 28th from 7:00 to 8:00 pm Cottages will be hosting a “Quit Smoking” kick-off event that will feature an America/Utah Saves presentation related to saving for the Holidays.  

Call (801) 393-4011 for more information or to enroll into the cessation class.  Class candidates will be selected based on first-come, first serve and some preference to those attending the Kick-Off event on Friday, Oct 28th. 

Our partners for these events are: Weber Morgan Health Department, America/Utah Saves, and Earn It, Keep It, Save It Weber County.   

Here are our recent graduates:

Those completing the entire four-part series (8hrs of financial literacy) may end up qualifying for the Individual Development Account (IDA) matched savings program that helps families purchase a home, pay for post secondary education, or start a small business.  In Utah, IDA savers benefit from a $3 to $1 match!  To find out more about the IDA program, visit www.uidan.org.  Cottages of Hope helps provide the IDA program in Weber County. 

Print your flyer to take with you to Panda Express

Your support of Cottages of Hope is greatly appreciated.

Jeremy Botelho & Chris Swaner

Aug 2011 Newsletter

Jul 2011 Newsletter

Jun 2011 Newsletter

May 2011 Newsletter

April 2011 Newsletter

March 2011 Newsletter

Faith Satterthwaite and Logan Green, are Weber State University Students that have been helping Cottages of Hope to develop software that will determine our client’s financial stability needs and track our clients progress.  In a separate class, they have also been helping us by calling clients to obtain updates on their successes and needs.

Thanks Faith & Logan for your participation with the Debtors’ Prison fundraiser!

Craig, an employee of Bank of Utah, is a board member of Cottages of Hope and volunteered as a tax preparer this past tax season.  We really appreciate his dedication to helping us find self-sufficiency solutions here in Weber County.  We also want to thank Bank of Utah for all of their support of our efforts.

Now that Craig has raised his bail, you can focus on helping some of our other prisoners…

Andrea volunteered this past year as a Work Study Student from Weber State University.  Thanks Andrea for your support and example of community service!   Continue to support Andrea so that she gets to spend more time in our “Wind Tunnel Raffle”.