An ACORN "Prosperity Center" to provide free tax preparation, year-round benefits screening and other services for low- and moderate-income King County residents opened with a ribbon cutting on Jan. 24 in Burien.

Prosperity centers in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties are being opened and operated by Washington ACORN's Working Families Prosperity Project, said Alex King, director and head organizer for ACORN of King County.

ACORN - the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now - also will provide information and assistance to help families apply for food stamps, child care, Medicaid and energy bill assistance.

In addition, they will offer financial literacy and credit awareness workshops and help with opening bank accounts with the goal of more families achieving homeownership.

The Prosperity Project will target persons facing home foreclosure.

"Washington ACORN organizers will knock on doors everyday in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods to encourage families to use the centers," King said.

"Washington ACORN will knock on 40,000 doors in 2008."

The King County Prosperity Center is located in the ACORN office at 134 S.W. 153rd Street, Burien. The hours are Thursdays 5-9 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m.-2 p.m., with walk-ins welcome.

Persons wanting a benefit screening may make an appointment for any time that also will work for an ACORN representative.

"After cutting the ribbon, we returned over $10,000 back to the local economy in tax returns that evening," King said. "For free."

"It was very exciting. Barbara O'Leary Hatfield-Liberace of White Center and an ACORN member was the first to go through and have her taxes done for free."

King said more than half of the door-to-door contacts and screenings will be done in King County. The Prosperity Project is "paid for by ACORN members," he added. "But mostly volunteers will be doing this....

"The goal of the project is to build hope and wealth for lower income working people."

Officials joining the ribbon cutting included Burien Deputy Mayor Rose Clark and Paul Knox, asset manager of the state Community Trade and Economic Development Department, and representatives of U.S. Bank, Washington Mutual Bank and the IRS.

ACORN is the IRS' fastest-growing volunteer income tax assistance partner, King said.