Mustard Seed, H&R Block team up

For disadvantaged people like Thomas Eaglechild, an opportunity for free financial assistance is something worth waiting in line for.

Eaglechild was one of a dozen people waiting at The Mustard Seed to file their taxes Tuesday morning.

The Mustard Seed has again teamed with H&R Block to offer the homeless and disadvantaged a free tax-filing service this week.

Eaglechild, a homeless man who learned about the service when he presented his last T4 slip to a Mustard Seed Volunteer last month, said he’s looking forward to finding out what his return will be.

“I know I’m going to get a refund,” said Eaglechild. “That’s going to go toward my debt.”

Paying down debts is just one of the reasons Donna Ryder, an advocate and community health nurse with The Mustard Seed, encourages clients to file their taxes.

Many low-income clients haven’t filed a tax return in five years or more, often because they don’t know about the free resources available to them or they’re scared they will owe money.

“They don’t want to actually open Pandora’s box,” said Ryder.

She said it’s important for people to file their taxes to apply for assistance such as Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped, which requires up-to-date filing to be eligible, or even to prove low-income for low-income bus passes.

The Mustard Seed has an accountant who comes Fridays throughout the year to help clients file their taxes, but during the busy tax season, Ryder said, it’s vital to have H&R Block’s help.

“It gets scary when it gets toward the end of April,” said Philip, a Mustard Seed client who didn’t want to provide his last name.

“I collect benefits, if I don’t get those (tax returns) in (on time), I’d have to reapply and it takes a long time,” he said.

Ryder said having the free service at The Mustard Seed is convenient for clients, not just to file their taxes but to give them a mailbox to receive their government benefits, such as GST and carbon tax cheques.

“Regardless of whether they’re homeless or housed or where they are, their mail will be here. They can pick it up here, it doesn’t get lost out there somewhere,” she said.

“Even if people are moving in and moving out of other places, we’re always here.”

Arlin Gunderson, district manager of H&R Block’s Calgary North, said low-income and homeless people tend to struggle when filing their taxes because of a lack of a home address or identification.

Gunderson said 117 people used the service in Calgary last year and they hope to file at least 200 this time around.

“That way, they can get back what’s theirs,” he said.