Power Station

Joseph Leitmann-Santa Cruz, Associate Director of Capital Area Asset Builders (CAAB), returns to Power Station with news about the expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) into Washington DC’s historic Wards 7 and 8. The EITC enables working people, whose employment is low-wage and sporadic, to claim a tax credit through through their annual tax filing. The amount these households are refunded is often the largest single payment they earn in a given year. This return can be instrumental in advancing their aspirations, including savings towards a home, education or investment in a small business. The challenge is to get the word out to eligible households and support them in filing tax returns. This is why CAAB launched DC Community Conversations. It raises awareness about the EITC through presentations in schools and community centers in neighborhoods where disinvestment and the racial wealth gap have stripped communities of resources and families of personal wealth. Joseph is exactly the right person