The weather may have stopped the ribbon cutting, but the excitement and opportunity created by the new United Way of South Central Michigan (UWSCMI) VITA Mobile can’t be chilled. A volunteer income tax assistance (VITA) partner, UWSCMI primarily serves Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Ingham, Ionia, Kalamazoo, Montcalm, and Shiawassee counties. They are also a CEDAM member, a CEDAM AmeriCorps host site, part of CEDAM’s coalition of free tax preparation providers (MEIC), and a recipient of the 2025 CEDAM Free Tax Prep Expansion Grant. The VITA Mobile was years in the making, developed in collaboration with multiple partners to increase free tax preparation services accessibility and awareness.

Meeting People Where They Are: The Impact on Communities

According to the most recent ALICE report, 41% of Michigan households struggle to afford basic necessities. For many, filing a tax return is a critical opportunity to improve their financial well-being. Unfortunately, many people overpay for tax prep services or get charged for unnecessary forms. VITA volunteer preparers are IRS-trained and -certified to help taxpayers claim every credit and deduction they’ve earned. They don’t have to worry about surprise fees at any point in the process, which saves them peace of mind and money. Last year, UWSCMI’s VITA program served 5,086 households, including 2,658 households in the Capital Area, and generated $7,659,817 in tax refunds, including $3,872,102 for Capital Area households. Two big barriers for individuals to take advantage of free tax preparation services are accessibility and awareness, the two things the VITA Mobile is tackling.

Why a VITA Mobile Unit?

The VITA Mobile is a 35-foot bus, almost like a charter bus, equipped with three private meeting spaces (one of which is wheelchair accessible). The bus operates four days a week at locations around Lansing and in surrounding rural communities. They have a roster of locations set in partnership with community organizations (such as Salus Center and St. Johns Parks & Recreation) to meet people where they are and build on the relationships those partners have established within the community. Although appointments are generally preferred, walk-ins are welcome. It is not uncommon for curious individuals to go to the bus while it’s parked just to ask questions about services or schedule an appointment for a later time.

There are four target groups the VITA Mobile is trying to reach who may fall through the gaps of existing programs: those who do not have transportation to get to a VITA site, rural residents who do not have a close VITA site, those who don’t know they qualified for free tax preparation services, and those who have no idea free tax preparation services exist. “This bus has helped us serve folks in rural areas we wouldn’t have been able to reach otherwise,” said Quill Stallaris, a CEDAM AmeriCorps member serving at UWSCMI responsible for driving the VITA Mobile. “You can’t get more accessible than being right outside a place people are already going to be.”

Although the VITA Mobile’s main goal is to increase awareness and accessibility, and both are being accomplished, unexpected barriers beyond transportation have been observed. These include clients not having a phone number to receive callbacks, clients not having a bank account to receive their refunds through direct deposit, and clients being unsure of what tax documents they need. “We’ve encountered a lot of little and big barriers on the mobile unit that I haven’t at our main site,” said Quill. “I’ve become really aware of how many tiny barriers can make the difference between someone being able to access services or not.”

The AmeriCorps Connection: Expanding Financial Stability

The purpose of CEDAM’s AmeriCorps program is to create community, build capacity, and serve neighbors across Michigan. Members serve at organizations doing a plethora of tasks related to the community economic development field, from managing farmers’ markets to grant writing. Quill is not the only CEDAM AmeriCorps member serving at an organization focusing on financial stability efforts. In this cohort, four members work at VITA sites, with one of whom specializes in assisting senior citizens specifically.

Quill is serving as a VITA support specialist at UWSCMI where he schedules tax preparation appointments, manages and recruits VITA volunteers, and drives the VITA Mobile (nicknamed “Max” for maximum refund). He started his service term with no prior knowledge of taxes after searching for a post-grad opportunity after studying Arts & Humanities, with a focus on community engagement, at Michigan State University. However, once he joined AmeriCorps and began serving at UWSCMI, he received free comprehensive training and certification, the same as all volunteers.

As a Lansing native, Quill is enthusiastic about working with those in his backyard and ensuring they receive the transparent, community-driven, free tax services they deserve. “I get a lot of folks who used to go to a paid preparer who would file extra kinds of forms they didn’t even need just so they could charge for those. With free tax prep preparers, that’s not something that you need to worry about– I’m not being paid by you,” said Quill. “Taxes stress people out. A lot of our volunteers do this because they love their community—it’s a loving act to take on such a stressful task for someone else.”

How to Connect Your Community with No-Cost Tax Help

We know filing your taxes can be stressful, but you don’t have to go through the process alone. There are free tax preparation services available throughout Michigan, and we encourage you to take advantage of them or recommend them to others. Visit MichiganFreeTaxHelp.org, a trusted resource CEDAM runs and maintains to help Michigan residents, to access IRS-certified Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE), and Tax-Aide sites. You can also dial 2-1-1 to be connected with services in your area. “We can help you… If you filed somewhere else, we can still help look at their tax situation at no cost. Why not try a free resource before you see about paying someone?”