Our Residents

It’s tax time – but not to worry, help is available.

Springfield Housing Authority residents, along with the general public, are welcome to have expert assistance to organize accounts, fill out forms, and file the proper documents to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

SHA Grants Coordinator Lidya Rivera has organized sessions for anyone who needs help, to work in private sessions with tax expert Martin O’Connor of Springfield Partners for Community Action.

Lidya Rivera, SHA Grants Coordinator, has set up a free program with Springfield Partners for Community to help residents and others prepare their taxes.

The sessions will run in half-hour blocks on Monday afternoons from 2 to 5 p.m., starting on Feb. 25 and ending on April 15, which is the deadline for filing taxes. All sessions will be at the Deborah Barton Neighborhood Network Center, at the John L. Sullivan Apartments on Nursery Street in the Liberty Heights section of the city.

Appointments are necessary, and may be made by calling Rivera at 785-1562 during weekday office hours. There will be no walk-ins.

Springfield Partners is providing the help without cost to the SHA, Rivera said.

This is the third consecutive year that SHA has organized this service for residents and the general public. Rivera said the sessions are usually booked, and even more so as the deadline approaches.

“It’s basically a service for our residents, but anyone can register and come in for help,” Rivera said.

This free service is aimed at helping people get their taxes done without paying for private professional services, which can run upwards of $150.

“Our families like to get their taxes done right away, and sometimes they end up spending a lot of money on it. We’re trying to keep costs down for them,” Rivera said.