Indiana's Lacasa Inc. is holding its traditional "Master Your Money” class in a new location: The Elkhart County Jail. Previously, local bankers led the classes for inmates. But as banks became short-staffed during the pandemic, opportunities dwindled. Lacasa, a NeighborWorks network organization working to create opportunities for personal empowerment,  jumped to fill in the gap. 
 

Indiana's Lacasa Inc. is holding its traditional "Master Your Money” class in a new location: The Elkhart County Jail. Previously, local bankers led the classes for inmates. But as banks became short-staffed during the pandemic, opportunities dwindled. Lacasa, a NeighborWorks network organization working to create opportunities for personal empowerment,  jumped to fill in the gap. 
 

Lorena Arechiga-Playo was eager to join a matched savings program when she found one being offered through East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC) in Oakland, California. She knew such a program, where a lender or nonprofit pledges to match a certain amount of what a client puts into savings, would increase her savings efforts. 

A national housing counseling program designed and administered by NeighborWorks America is working to make an impact. The Housing Stability Counseling Program (HSCP) was designed to support families and individuals who are facing foreclosure, eviction or homelessness as a result of pandemic-related economic fallout. NeighborWorks America was charged with implementing the $100 million program as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. 

A national housing counseling program designed and administered by NeighborWorks America is working to make an impact. The Housing Stability Counseling Program (HSCP) was designed to support families and individuals who are facing foreclosure, eviction or homelessness as a result of pandemic-related economic fallout. NeighborWorks America was charged with implementing the $100 million program as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. 

The client who phoned Noelia Castro Ramirez, a HUD-certified housing counselor with Ponce Neighborhood Housing Services, had already been turned down for loss mitigation by his bank. He had written up a budget and submitted it, she says. But the budget didn't show that he could cover his monthly loan payments.  
 

The client who phoned Noelia Castro Ramirez, a HUD-certified housing counselor with Ponce Neighborhood Housing Services, had already been turned down for loss mitigation by his bank. He had written up a budget and submitted it, she says. But the budget didn't show that he could cover his monthly loan payments.  
 

With expanded child tax credits providing additional dollars for qualifying families, NeighborWorks network organizations doing tax preparation are working to get the word to as many families as they can. Staff and volunteers want to ensure eligible clients receive that money, along with the earned income tax credit, a tax break for low- to moderate-income earners, says Kori Hattemer, director of Prosper Programs for Foundation Communities.

"It's hard to gain assets or manage money without a basic understanding of financial capability," says Lucien Blackwell, equity sales associate for an international investment banking firm and instructor for a course on credit at the upcoming NeighborWorks Training Institute (NTI) "Money makes the world go round." 

An initiative led by Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida (NHSSF) will empower Black and Latina women to create and grow their businesses – and own them. The education and financial initiative, which encourages women to form cooperatives, will focus on the care industry.