Income

The facts:

Nearly 16% of families in the tri-county area live at or below the poverty line.

What we’re doing:

Our programs and partnerships provide adult education, job skill training, financial literacy courses, credit counseling, and access to benefits.

Program highlights:

The Keep the Change! Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program saves low- to moderate-income families hundreds of dollars in filing fees and refund anticipaiton loans. This past tax season, the VITA program put $4.2 million back into our community in the form of tax refunds and credits.

To provide a holistic approach in equipping families to break the cycle of poverty, United Way supports a Voice of Calvary program called Circles that has a proven track record of moving families living at or below the poverty line to 200 % above the poverty line within 18 months.

United Way partnered with North Midtown Partners and CredAbility to establish the first one-stop shop for social and fianancial services in the tri-county area called The Prosperity Center of Greater Jackson.

Net Worth is a youth financial literacy program for middle and high school students. Students learn about checking and savings accounts, the importance of managing credit, investment basics, business etiquette, and other aspects on becoming and staying financially secure.

Our goals:

Our 10-year goal is to increase the number of lower-income working families that are financially stable, as measured by the number of families that spend less than 40% of their income on housing costs. We will accomplish this goal with work in the following areas:

Help older teens and adults gain family-sustaining, long term employment;
Increase effective financial management for low- to moderate-income families;
Increase access to quality, affordable housing opportunities, including homeownership, for low-income families;
Increase the number of low- to moderate-income families who take advantage of asset-building resources, including the Earned Income Tax Credits, savings programs, banking opportunities, and Individual Development Account programs.

Community partners in INCOME:

Circles Network Partnership (Voice of Calvary Ministries)
CredAbility (formerly CCCS)
Daylight Ministries Transitional Housing for Women
Goodwill Industries of Mississippi
JSU Continuing Education Learning Center
Keep the Change! (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program)
Madison Countians Allied Against Poverty (MadCAAP)
Matt’s House
Net Worth Youth Financial Institute
Prosperity Center of Greater Jackson Matt’s House Emergency Shelter for Women & Children
Sims House Transitional Shelter for Women and Children

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Budget & Loans
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Health