CMCA offers credit-related coaching services through the Financial Opportunity Center, which launched in late April 2021.  Additionally, Family Success Coaches support families enrolled in the Whole Family Approach who have chosen credit-related goals.  Data below indicates the year-to-date numbers of CMCA members receiving coaching who have increased their credit score.  

Credit scores help determine whether or not someone can get credit, the terms on which credit is offered, and how much it will cost to borrow.  Credit scores influence nearly all aspects of life including housing, transportation, insurance, and employment.  Credit also plays a role in setting up utilities, getting a cell phone, and negotiating interest rates or refinancing.  

Through coaching offered through the Financial Opportunity Center, CMCA members learn financial management skills such as budgeting, reducing expenses, and lowering debt in order to increase their credit scores.  By helping people improve their financial management skills and credit scores, CMCA supports families in becoming more resilient and in breaking the cycle of poverty. 

Interested in supporting CMCA in this endeavor?  Click here to find out how you can help.

Source:

1. Taylor, K. (2020, January 29). Credit score ranges and what they mean: How will the New Fico changes impact them? How to Pay For College: The Complete Guide from Nitro. 

The Financial Opportunity Center became active in April 2021, during the third quarter of the agency's fiscal year.  FOCs pair individuals with Financial and Employment Coaches to co-create financial freedom plans. Coaches support individuals with tools and resources that allow them to navigate the complexities of increasing income, decreasing expenses and acquiring assets.  The FOC model is built on four interlocking components: Financial Coaching, Career Coaching, Income Supports and a Shared Data System.  Click here to see how it works.

Interested in helping CMCA make an impact in your community?  Click here to learn more.

The Financial Opportunity Center is provided in partnership with Rural LISC.  With residents and partners, LISC forges resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity across America - great places to live, work, visit, do business, and raise families.

Interested in partnering with CMCA?  Click here to learn more about how you can help.