Yes, The Homeless Are Eligible For $1,400 Stimulus Payments
Image: @ehouse37 via Unsplash
The $1,400 stimulus payments are starting to drop, and they can also drop for people who’ve fallen through the cracks. A viral tweet from over the weekend claimed “I just found this out. If you are homeless, you can go to a tax return office where they will file something called EIP return. They will put the money on a debit card after.” Several news organizations looked into it, and it’s true — homeless Americans are eligible for stimulus payments.
I was really upset that homeless people did not have access to the $1,400 stimulus check.
I just found this out. If you are homeless, you can go to a tax return office where they will file something called EIP return. They will put the money on a debit card after.
Retweet.!
— Hamdia Ahmed (@hamdia_ahmed) March 15, 2021
Any American who makes less than $75,000 is eligible for the stimulus payment. Reuters looked into it, and an IRS spokesperson confirmed that “Since the first round of stimulus payments, the IRS has been working extensively with partner and outreach groups across the country to reach the homeless community. These efforts helped many in the homeless community sign up for payments, but more remain eligible.”
SF locations to help people get stimulus payments, screenshot via IRS.org
HOW CAN I HELP AN UNHOUSED PERSON GET THEIR STIMULUS?
We mentioned this last year early in the pandemic in our COVID-19 resources for Bay Area residents, but the program has since expanded and changed. The IRS has since introduced a non-filer tool to help people who don’t normally file taxes to get their stimulus payments. They also have a IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance to help find community centers where people will help with documentation to make sure people get their stimulus payments, even if they don’t have a permanent address.
Many of these community centers are facilities that you’re already familiar with, like the Women’s Building (3543 18th Street), UC Hastings College Of The Law (198 Mcallister Street), and San Francisco State University (1600 Holloway Avenue).
You could help a homeless person get a stimulus check for simply retweeting this.!! pic.twitter.com/DWt1gbCxbX
— Hamdia Ahmed (@hamdia_ahmed) March 17, 2021
The IRS will mail stimulus checks to the address of a friend or relative, or distribute the funds via a Visa debit card assigned to the recipient. These are complex processes, but someone at a tax prep community center can help.
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