Working Credit NFP

The road to good credit is shorter than many think. People do not have to be wealthy to have a good credit score, but they do have to know the rules of the credit scoring system and adopt concrete strategies to establish and sustain creditworthiness. Enter Working Credit: our program aims to scale credit building, particularly among people of color, as a strategy for achieving financial resilience in the near term, and expanding access to economic and social opportunities in the longer term. We do this by helping participants acquire the upfront knowledge, affordable products, and ongoing support they need to achieve and sustain prime credit scores and to establish a safety net of at least $1,000 in available credit. Working Credits one-of-a-kind credit building program is comprised of two parts:1.Credit Building Workshops. Working Credit offers a signature virtual and in-person 45-minute workshop that provides baseline information on the credit scoring system, including the high cost of having poor or no credit, the fundamental rules of credit scoring, simple and straightforward strategies to establish and/or build a strong score, and scams to avoid like predatory credit repair. 2.One-on-One Credit Building Counseling and Coaching for 12 Months. Working Credits one-on-one, personalized, credit building counseling starts with a 60-minute, in-depth and confidential session during which Working Credit counselors and participants:a.Complete a baseline financial profile that encompasses a detailed personal/household budget reflecting the participants current reality and focusing on their unique goals; b.Pull and review a soft inquiry version of the participants credit report (soft inquiries do not impact consumers credit scores) to make sure the information is accurate and that participants understand its content and what may be affecting their score (if any), and identify barriers and solutions for improving their situation based on their goals; and c.Develop a personalized Credit Action Plan that serves as a detailed roadmap informed by the participants goals. Those who complete the first counseling session have unlimited access to, and receive unlimited help from, their Working Credit counselor for 12 months. Regardless of how many or how few additional sessions participants request, our counselors pull each persons credit reports and credit scores at 6 and 12 months after that first meeting. They then share with them a personalized report that explains what changed, why, and what the participant can do to continue building credit and make the most of new and improved scores. In addition to being credit building subject matter experts, Working Credits counselors and coaches can and do support participants on a range of financial topics. These include but are not limited to:Managing credit card, medical, student loan, collections, and other debtNavigating student aid and post-secondary education financing resourcesRefinancing high interest vehicle loansCancelling contracts, when possible, for predatory credit/debt servicesFiling for bankruptcyHandling judgments, garnishments, and tax liensNavigating credit and divorceRenting or purchasing a home (knowing your rights and options)Applying for tax credits (e.g., EITC) and other benefitsAs we have expanded our capacity to reach people in different contexts, our relational model is evidence-based and scalable. Provided remotely and with a robust backend platform to manage participants and partners, our services can be offered as a standalone program, or layered in as a complement to an existing initiative so that we and our partners can focus on what we each do bestand together better support our mutual participants. Working Credits goal is not just to convey information, but to transform that information into actionable knowledge and sustained impact that improves participants financial circumstances and interrupts barriers to goal achievement caused by structural racism in the credit system.