Arizona Helping Hands Launches Program to Expedite Foster Care Licensing
Scottsdale, Arizona (PRWEB) March 23, 2017 -- Arizona Helping Hands (AZHH), Arizona’s largest provider of basic essential needs for children in foster care, has launched a first-of-its-kind program to assist foster care licensing for families. This program was made possible largely due to 2016 changes in the Arizona Charitable Donation Tax Credit law for foster care organizations, and AZHH is in urgent need of donations, prior to the April 15 tax deadline.
The Foster Licensing Aids program provides the checklist of items required to pass the requisite life-safety inspection, which helps ensure that homes are fit for children and includes such items as carbon monoxide detectors, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, magnetized cabinet safety locks and a customized first aid kid. By providing these items and more, AZHH expedites the licensing process and ensures children in the foster care system have a safe place to live.
“We need more foster care families, but they have to jump through so many hoops that we just can’t keep up with the need we face here in Arizona,” said Dan Shufelt, AZHH President and CEO. “We believe this program will make the licensing process much faster, ensuring that the 17,000 boys and girls in Arizona’s foster care system have a safe home environment.”
The Arizona Charitable Tax credit enables Arizona residents to receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit against their 2016 state tax liability, even if they make their donation between Jan. 1 and April 15, 2017. The law was updated in 2016 to increase the amount of money people can donate specifically to Qualifying Foster Care Charitable Organizations like AZHH, with a new $500 cap for single taxpayers and $1,000 max for married couples.
In 2016 alone, AZHH provided 2,003 beds and cribs, 920 birthday packages, clothing, diapers, personal care packages and much more to Arizona’s children in foster care. For more information on donating, visit: http://www.azfostertaxcredit.org
Arizona Helping Hands
Arizona Helping Hands supports foster families by providing essentials such as bedding, clothes, personal effects, holiday toys, birthday gifts, school supplies and more. To volunteer, donate or connect with AZHH visit us on social media at http://www.facebook.com/azhelpinghands/ or go to http://www.azhelpinghands.org for more information.
Diane Smith, BIG YAM, The Parsons Agency, http://ww.bigyam.com, +1 480-320-0142, [email protected]
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