United Way to fund EITC through a grant

United Way of Ocean County is funding a free income tax preparation program called Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) through a grant to encourage financial stability.

Through EITC, individuals with a low income can receive up to $4,800 from the federal government and up to $1,000 from the state. In order to receive income tax credits, state and federal tax returns must be filed.

Lisa Giannascoli, the acting director of United Way of Ocean County says, "One of our missions is to increase assets for long term stability. Once you get a tax return, it is necessary to take those next steps to establish a bank account, put money away in it, and make a household budget in order to increase one's assets and create stability.

For UnitedWay, this program is an important outreach to make sure everyone who qualifies for EITC files for it and begins to establish long-term financial stability, one of our goals for Ocean County.

Giannascoli says, "The population who are served and need this service the most are the families who utilize the services at the Lakewood and Toms River facilities of OHI, which is why OHI is the perfect partner for this program."

To help individuals in this process, OHI will offer its Toms River facility at 301 Lakehurst Road, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., until April 15. The Lakewood facility at 101 Second St. will be available on Saturdays only, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., beginning Feb. 7 and ending April 15.

For more information or to make an appointment, call United Way of Ocean County at 732-240-0311.