Essentials

Event Sessions : September 22-23 , 2008

Location: Houston, TX

Geographic Target: Western Arkansas, Louisiana, Southwestern Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas

Registration Fees:

• $150 Affiliates (paid)
• $200 General

Not sure if you are a paid affiliate? Check this list.

Registration

Registration has been closed due to the event's cancellation.

View an event summary.

Overview

From food to housing to child care, working families face rising costs at every turn, while their wages stagnate or even decline. The National Community Tax Coalition, a leader in the movement to connect working families to tax credits, wants to help you combat this crisis for working and immigrant families.

Join us as we share tools and strategies to create change on a larger scale. During this summit, we will talk about the state of low-income workers nationwide, and in the mid-South region. By focusing on skill building and action planning, and providing opportunities to network with other programs, experts, and elected officials, we will help you to take your organization from a practitioner in the field to a leader in the movement.

If you live in the geographic target area, and have not yet had a chance to attend one of our regional summits in 2008, Houston will be your last opportunity for the year. Don’t miss out on this chance to connect with other programs and join the movement to help working families in the Southern U.S.!

During this Summit, we will:

• Address regional needs related to free tax preparation, asset building, and the state of low-income workers.
• Conduct training to build your policy and leadership skills.
• Provide you with tools and resources that you can utilize in your work.
• Connect you to other programs in your area that are doing the same great work.

General Sessions

30,000 Feet: State of Low-Income Workers, A National View
A look at the state of working families nationwide, including national economic trends, such as the oncoming recession, the mortgage crisis, and rising food costs, that affect low-income individuals, families, and especially impact children.

Drilling Down: State of Low-Income Workers, A Regional Perspective
A look at the state of low-income workers and families in the mid-South, focusing on the unique challenges they face that keep them from achieving economic stability.

What to Expect Later: Let's Go Deeper
We take a look at the agenda for Day 2, which starts with skill-building and ends with action planning.

Panel Discussion: IRS News Flash!
The community tax preparation field has experienced record breaking tax preparation services, direct deposit and electronic filing participation and quality assurance scores. Additionally, part of the field embraced processed based training and through the participation of NCTC and the overall field, the community tax preparation community has leveraged federal funding for free tax preparation. Congratulations to the field and we hope you will join the IRS-SPEC team to learn more about the field's success!

Concurrent Workshops

Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Using Data to Improve Your Program
Learn to use data to your advantage. In this session, we’ll help you learn to collect and use data in a dynamic way that will improve your program, leverage more resources and wow your audiences.

The Flip Side of Free Tax Prep.: Being a Strong Voice for Low-Income Workers in Your Community
The federal EITC and state EITCs bring back thousands of dollars to workers and communities across the country. In this workshop, we will discuss how you can be a stronger champion for low-wage workers before, during, and after Tax Time, by making your legislator your ally, and using compelling stories and effective messages to make the case for tax breaks for working families, not just wealthy individuals.

Hitting Rock Bottom: Helping Low-Income Workers Navigate the Marketplace
Between payday lending, high interest credit cards, and sub prime loans, low-income workers are being squeezed from every direction. Learn about what has unraveled in the industry, how low-income taxpayers are impacted, and how your programs can make a difference by combining practice and policy.