Community Renewal Good Stories - Buffalo

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Blue Info Cards Help Jobseeking EZ Residents Market Tax Credits- and Themselves

Buffalo-Lackawanna, New York, RC

"The address of the Renewal Community resident has value," pointed out Caroline Bright, associate employer services representative of the New York State Department of Labor and a key partner in the Buffalo-Lackawanna RC. "That address could be worth a $1,500 Federal tax credit to the employer who finds that the employee lives and works in the Renewal Community."

But how to be sure that both RC residents and potential employers are aware of this benefit? For Bright and her staff at the Buffalo office, the answer was a bright blue, laminated "Resident Awareness" card.

The card, provided to all jobseekers who are residents of the RC or the New York Empire Zone who visit one of the Department of Labor sites in Buffalo, states the following:

ATTENTION EMPLOYER: by hiring the bearer of this informational card, your company may be entitled to several tax credits, including:

•  Welfare to Work tax credit.
•  Work Opportunity tax credit.
•  Empire Zone Credit (New York State tax program requiring local certification).
•  Renewal Community employment credit.

The card lists phone numbers for follow-up information and serves two purposes. It informs residents that among their other qualifications for employment, they bring with them a potential tax credit to the employer, and it also identifies for potential employers the specific programs from which they may benefit.

The RC plans to carry out a survey on card usage and response. In the meantime, the RC has helped build a bridge between local residents and employers. The blue laminated card serves as a reminder to all that RC residents have value.

For more information on the programs of the Buffalo-Lackawanna RC, please contact Renewal Community Coordinator Geraldine Ford at (716) 851-5582.