Jan 21, 2014 | Public Policy Blog, Tax-time Savings
Today, Southern celebrates and kicks off its 10th year of administering the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which offers free tax preparation for income eligible individuals and families in Arkansas and Mississippi. To serve as a tax preparer for the...
Jan 17, 2014 | Press Releases, Tax-time Savings
Southern Bancorp kicks off its 10th year of offering free tax filing services for income eligible individuals and families in Arkansas and Mississippi on Tuesday, January 21st. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program features trained, IRS-certified...
Nov 22, 2013 | Past Policy Efforts, Public Policy Blog
During the 2013 regular session of the Arkansas General Assembly, Sen. Robert Thompson introduced the “Arkansas Prize-Linked Savings Account Act of 2013” (SB 119) to establish a prize-linked savings (PLS) account program. In PLS programs, financial institutions offer...
Oct 29, 2013 | Public Assistance Asset Limit Reform, Public Policy Blog
Due to the recent federal government shutdown, the farm bill was placed on the backburner until now. Legislators will convene again tomorrow to discuss and write a final bill. So why is the outcome of the farm bill so important? To help explain, we’ve assembled some...
Sep 19, 2013 | IDAs and CSAs, Public Policy Blog
National College Savings Month is big news around Southern because we understand the close relationship between education and family economic security. In fact, one of Southern’s primary goals is to increase educational opportunities within the communities we serve....
Sep 10, 2013 | Public Policy Blog, The Un- and Underbanked
In May 2013, Jackson Hewitt released a report showing nearly 8 million uninsured Americans who qualified for health insurance premium payment assistance would be unable to do so because they are unbanked, meaning they do not have a checking or savings account. Of...
Aug 9, 2013 | Public Policy Blog
Last month, a New York Times article, “In Climbing the Income Ladder, Location Matters,” examined income mobility within the United States. Based on this study, where a child grows up matters, which means achieving the American Dream is an uphill battle from the...
Jul 19, 2013 | Public Policy Blog, The Un- and Underbanked
As state and federal officials prepare for the October 1, 2013 enrollment date of the Affordable Care Act, unbanked and uninsured residents within Southern Bancorp Community Partners’ targeted areas of Arkansas and Mississippi, as well as the rest of the country, may...
Jul 12, 2013 | Public Assistance Asset Limit Reform, Public Policy Blog
For 40 years, farm programs and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as food stamps) have been moved and reauthorized as a single piece of legislation. However, as of this week the bills are now split, with the U.S. House passing a...
Jul 1, 2013 | News, Past Policy Efforts, Press Releases, Success Stories
Measuring a community development project’s performance is critical to its success, and Southern Bancorp Community Partners developed a social metrics program to do just that. Click here to read more about how we are measuring improvements and defining...
