LOS ANGELES — Without a car, traveling on foot and public transportation is something Los Angeles resident Vanessa Hernandez has done for years. But all of that changed last March.

"During the pandemic, I wasn't getting outside of the house," Hernandez said.

Hernandez said she couldn't afford to get COVID-19, especially after her husband caught the virus in December. They rely heavily on his income since she lost her medical assistant job last year and stayed home to care for their three daughters. Money got tight, and Hernandez thought they saved enough.  

"Sometimes we say, 'Oh yeah, I know I do that,'" she said. "But when the pandemic hit, and it's like really, 'No, you're not prepared. You need to be doing that.'"

There was enough to cover about three months of rent, but they had to rely on food banks for groceries. There was also an unexpected expense.

"One of my other girls, the older one, has to get a therapist because she was so depressed," she said.

Hernandez eventually found part-time work, cleaning buildings two days a week, but it still wasn't enough until she learned about some valuable tax credits. The Golden State Stimulus offers at least $600 to families making up to $75,000 a year. The California Earned Income Tax Credit provides $243 to just over $3,000 to families who make up to $30,000 a year.

The California Franchise Tax Board estimates about one million families are eligible for the California Earned Income Tax Credit, but they haven't applied because they haven't filed their taxes yet. Marta Gonzalez, with the nonprofit One LA, works with United Ways of California to tell families about the credits, and she said many times, people don't know they exist or are worried filing taxes could expose their immigration status.  

"For a lot of folks that are undocumented, they've never gone through the process," Gonzalez said. "Even writing down their name to register at a local church is scary to them at times, so to give all of their information to a government agency takes a lot of trust."

Hernandez said money from the tax credits provided several thousand dollars, enough to help her family recover from the pandemic. She is still looking for a full-time job but is relieved to know they can at least keep a roof over their heads and cover bills through the end of the year. 

"I know my girls listen, like, we are OK," she said. "It's a relief not only for us as parents. It's for them, too."

For more information, go to https://www.ftb.ca.gov/

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed a quote. This has been corrected. (May 14, 2021)