Family Income and Wealth Building
Ensuring that Newark residents have access to programs and services that help families achieve true financial stability is a critical element for improving the quality of life for neighborhood residents. LISC helps residents achieve these goals through Financial Opportunity Centers (FOCs).
LISC Financial Opportunity Centers are service centers that focus on the financial bottom line for low- and moderate-income individuals. The goal of the FOC model is to empower people to change their financial behavior in a way that encourages them to make a long-term commitment to increasing income, decreasing expenses and acquiring assets. FOCs provide families with services across three core areas:
- Employment placement and career improvement
- Financial education and coaching
- Public benefits access
The FOC model integrates these core services and provides them to clients in a bundled fashion. Services provided include access to credit reports, a series of financial literacy workshops, one-on-one budgeting and personal finance counseling, and career training and placement.
The FOCs at the Urban League of Essex County, Ironbound Community Corporation and at New Community Corporation have provided a combination of one-on-one financial coaching, career training and placement, and income support services to at least 178 customers. To date, 121 have been screened for benefits, 40 have been placed in jobs and increased their income, 21 have established either a bank or credit account, and over 200 have benefited from financial education through workshops and community events.
