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STABILITY IN THE MIDST OF UNCERTAINTY: HOW UNITED WAY IS HELPING PEOPLE BUILD A
STRONG FINANCIAL FUTURE

March 1, 2023

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The current economic climate has left many individuals and families worried
about their future. Inflation and the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 crisis
have made it difficult for a lot of people to afford basic necessities, and
those struggling before are finding it even more challenging. United Way of
Greater St. Louis provides education, training and other resources to help
people become financially stable now and in the future. We talked with Debbie
Irwin, United Way’s director of systems change – community economic development,
about the importance of our financial stability initiatives and how they can
help set individuals and families up for success during uncertain times.

 

 

One of United Way’s impact areas is helping people with financial mobility. Can
you talk about how helping people find secure financial footing positively
impacts their whole self or family?

Financial mobility programs can have significant effects on individuals,
families and even generations. Personal finance is not typically taught in
school so without guidance, many people are left on their own to figure out how
to manage their finances, making costly mistakes. With financial education
courses, one-on-one financial coaching and non-profit agency support, people
learn new ways to think about and manage their money.

 

They also learn about financial products that can help them, like low-cost
checking and savings accounts, a retirement account, or insurance. Individuals
that go through our financial education and savings programs can then share
their knowledge and skills with their children or other family members, modeling
positive behaviors, and creating a ripple effect through the community.

 

Individually, people feel more confident and in control of their future because
they have new knowledge and access to tools to help them manage their money and
make financial decisions. When people are more financially secure, and feel less
financial stress, they also tend to have better health outcomes, and better
outcomes for their children.

 

 

How does helping families gain greater financial mobility help the overall
community?

If families can improve their financial situation and move up the economic
ladder, they are less likely to need social services and public assistance. They
also have better outcomes in terms of child well-being, health, and education.
The overall community benefits through higher employment, wages, and a larger
tax base. With higher incomes and more wealth, families can contribute to
overall economic growth and the economic health of the region through their
purchasing power and community investment in homeownership and other assets.

 

 

United Way supports many programs through our financial stability initiative.
One of those is partnering with four local tax coalitions to provide free tax
preparation assistance to low- and middle-income families. How does that support
help families and the region as a whole?

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs help families save money on tax
preparation fees and helps make sure they receive all the tax credits they
qualify for, like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit.
About 20 % of eligible working families do not claim the Earned Income Tax
Credit.  Research has shown that the Earned Income Tax Credit program also has
favorable outcomes on education, health and child well-being, another reason
United Way supports the free tax preparation program.

 

With additional money in their pockets, families can use those dollars to pay
bills, reduce debt, or save for an emergency fund or other assets.

 

The St. Louis community benefits when local families save money on tax services
and claim their EITC refund. This money is invested back into our region through
spending on basic needs, transportation, housing, education and other consumer
goods and services.

 

 

United Way’s ASSET program, which is a multi-pronged financial empowerment
program for low-income families with children, will happen again this spring,
how does this program help people build their financial footing?

Often, financial education is provided to help low-income families learn how to
manage their money better. While financial education is a very important
component, education alone is often not enough to help families reach their
financial goals. The ASSET program provides additional support to low-income
families by combining goal setting, education, credit building, and financial
coaching with a monetary incentive to save. Families save money over 4-6 months
and receive a savings match after completing the program to pay down a debt.
Trained volunteer financial coaches work with families during the saving period
to provide support in helping people reach their goals and overcome any
obstacles to saving.

 

The program also helps build capacity with nonprofit agencies to deliver
financial and asset building services through training and technical assistance.
Program evaluations for the ASSET program show consistent positive reported
decreases in feelings of financial stress and increases in participant’s
attitudes, knowledge and financial behaviors.

 

 

Tell us a little bit about United Way’s partnership with the St. Louis Regional
Financial Empowerment Coalition and how that helps people throughout the region
with financial literacy.

United Way serves as the “backbone” agency for the St. Louis Regional Financial
Empowerment Coalition, which means we provide in-kind services, and staff
support for everyday operations, event planning, grant writing and marketing.
United Way staff also serves in critical leadership roles, working in tandem
with coalition volunteers and donors to manage committees and put on community
outreach and education events. United Way has been a key champion of Money Smart
Month, where diverse organizations such as financial institutions, nonprofits,
churches, libraries, and other community organizations come together during the
month of April every year to offer free personal finance classes and fun events
for the whole family.

 

 

Last year, studies showed that only about one-third of Americans had a working
understanding of interest rates, mortgage rates and financial risk. Why is
financial literacy so important in helping people withstand unexpected crises or
financial challenges?

Financial literacy is important for so many reasons! Regarding being able to
handle unexpected expenses or life challenges, having an emergency fund can be
critical, and even then, sometimes that is not enough. For example, a serious
medical condition that racks up thousands of medical bills, or a devastating
weather event, like the recent flooding that we had in our community last year,
can deplete any savings a family may have. That is why a wholistic approach to
financial well-being is important. Understanding interest rates and credit
scores is important for making sure people don’t pay too much for the cost of
credit or get into unaffordable, predatory loan products.

 

It is also important to maximize how we use income and manage day-to-day
expenses. To do this requires a basic understanding of how much money is coming
in and how much is going out – the household’s cash flow. Including “savings” as
another “bill” to be paid every month can be one step to help families become
more resilient and be better positioned to weather the storms that life brings,
that and having good insurance policies!

 

 

Take action now:

 * Learn more about our free tax prep program.
 * Find out more about our ASSET program.
 * Share this story with friends and family.



Rodney Humphries

Rodney Humphries is the communications specialist for United Way of Greater St.
Louis and a proud graduate of Webster University where he developed his passion
for writing. In college, he combined his love for writing and sports, serving as
the primary sports writer for his school newspaper while also developing his own
sports blog. After graduating, he continued his love for writing as he served as
a freelance writer for various publications. Rodney continues to be a fan of
Webster athletics, you will often see him sitting courtside at a lot of their
basketball games.


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