“It has been my experience that the Internal Revenue Code is extremely complex and not everyone can afford counsel when they have an issue,” he says. He began looking at alternatives for those who could not afford their own counsel and learned about the history of Low Income Taxpayer Clinics (LITC) through the IRS website. Dave was intrigued. He immediately searched for the nearest LITC, which just happened to be part of Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic.

In case you missed it, this March, we shared stories about the work done by our Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC), information on the biggest scams that threaten our clients, and helpful tips and resources for those who are facing tax-related issues.

One of the services we provide through our Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) is to represent people in the U.S. Tax Court. If you are selected for an IRS examination or audit, the IRS will take a closer look at your tax return to determine if there are any discrepancies or errors. At the end of this process, taxpayers are told if they still owe money. If they do not agree with the results of the IRS exam, they have 90 days to file in Tax Court.  

Jim Foltz’s father owned a bakery where Jim mopped floors and washed dishes after school when he was just a boy. Down the road lived a prominent, local attorney who was friends with his father and grandfather. Over the years, Jim observed this man’s work, and he dreamed of one day becoming an attorney as well. “I thought that I could mediate and help people reach a fair and agreeable solution when they had difficulties,” he says. “That was my main motivation for becoming an attorney.”

This November, we celebrated our amazing volunteers with a Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon at the Indianapolis Bar Association! On the blog, we introduced you to one of those faithful volunteers, Peggy Mindrebo, and the unique way she gives of her time to the Clinic.

What I love most about my work here at the Clinic are the sweet and precious moments—God moments—that I get to experience with my clients during the journey of a tax case. Just last week, I had two of these experiences.

Although she did not initially seek out a position that corresponded with her Christian faith, Kim finds that part of her work to be especially meaningful. At the end of each intake, Dee Dee asks clients if they would like prayer, and they almost always say yes. “I’ve been here for over four years and I can think of maybe only two people that have said they don’t want prayer,” says Kim. “And when Dee Dee prays for them, that’s when they let it all go. They almost always walk out feeling better.”

According to a study from the Center for Criminal Justice Research, part of the Indiana University Public Policy Initiative, even a 1% decrease in Marion County's recidivism rate could save taxpayers $1.5 million. To help support the work of Project GRACE, please consider making a donation this #GivingTuesday.

Dee Dee Gowan was only 21 years old when she was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy. Her first duty station was the Naval Ocean Processing Facility at Ford Island, a small island inside Pearl Harbor. For three years, she lived and worked in Hawaii, but was assigned to her next duty station at the Pentagon during the First Gulf War. On her last day in Hawaii, Dee Dee looked through the plane window and promised herself that when she had a family of her own, she would return. But three decades passed, life got in the way, and the promise she made to herself went unfulfilled.