The Santa Barbara Housing Authority’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, which assists low-income families, seniors, the disabled and handicapped with income tax preparation, served a record number of people this tax season with refunds totaling more than $1 million, the agency announced Friday.

Trained VITA volunteers helped more than 1,000 people with their tax returns. The $1,028,453 returned to residents was a record for the program.

“We are especially excited about the success of our VITA program this year, because in tougher economic times filing taxes can seem an even more daunting task,” said Frank Quezada, resident services supervisor for the Housing Authority. “We are grateful to our volunteer team and community partners who make our VITA program possible. With their dedication and support; we are able to provide equal access to those in our community who might otherwise not receive the tax benefits for which they are entitled.”

The Housing Authority’s income tax preparation centers are a collaborative effort. The Housing Authority provides the supervision, staff, locations, Internet access, materials and supplies, and the Internal Revenue Service provides the training, software and technical support.

This year, the program included 16 trained volunteer tax preparers from local nonprofits and businesses.

— Noozhawk staff writer Michelle Nelson can be reached at mnelson@noozhawk.com.