Ariva is based in the South Bronx, where 38 percent of residents live below the poverty line.
According to a 2011 report by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs, 95 percent of South Bronx residents have zero discretionary money after paying their household bills. And, in Ariva’s home neighborhood of Highbridge/Grand Concourse, 63 percent of residents have credit cards but more than half are unbanked, leaving them open to predatory and high-cost fringe financial services.
Ariva’s programs help struggling New Yorkers access every dollar they are due and reach their personal financial goals.
- Free Tax Preparation
- Ariva provides free tax preparation for lower-income New Yorkers so they can avoid commercial tax preparation fees and access every dollar they are due through tax refunds and tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit.
- Financial Education
- Ariva’s financial education program helps adults increase their knowledge of basic personal finance, create and live on a family budget, establish and increase savings, manage debt, establish or repair credit, protect personal information, and avoid identity theft and credit repair scams.
- Benefits Access
- Ariva helps New Yorkers put food on the table and stay healthy by connecting them to screenings, enrollment assistance and case mediation for Food Stamps and health coverage to ensure all who is eligible get enrolled.
- SaveUSA and
Asset Building - Ariva is one of only five organizations nationwide that offers SaveUSA, a program which gives tax filers the opportunity to get a 50 percent match (up to $500) if they save a portion of their tax refund for one year. Ariva also offers connections to free bank accounts to help low-wealth New Yorkers save and manage their money.