Tax & Benefits Outreach

Children’s Defense Fund - Ohio works with faith, community, business, education and government organizations to help working parents get needed resources to provide stable, healthy lives for their children. 

According to the Urban Institute, if working families participated fully in government programs such as Medicaid, the Earned Income Tax Credit and Food Stamps, poverty would decline by more than 20% and extreme poverty by 70%. 

To address this lack of participation, CDF-Ohio has undertaken various activities across the state, including: 

• Developed educational materials for community-based organizations, faith-based groups, social service providers, child care centers, parent groups and health facilities;
• Monitored barriers to participation in government programs;
• Consulted with the Family Income Division at our national office to generate a data collection tool that captures information essential to the improvement of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites;
• Worked with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to distribute Earned Income Tax Credit information to 208,590 Ohioans in nine counties with the largest populations and highest concentration of poverty;
• Led the effort that amended the Ohio Childcare Assistance application to include a one-page, supplemental form to apply for the state-supported Medicaid program; and
• Collaborated with peers in Columbus, Lakewood, Cincinnati and Athens to create community-based EITC coalitions.