PITTSBURGH, PA (June 11, 2021) The City of Pittsburgh and its partner Neighborhood Allies have been awarded a technical assistance grant by Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund to expand services provided by the Pittsburgh Financial Empowerment Center.
The CFE Fund is seeking to leverage the existing FEC infrastructure to launch a new pilot, Eviction Prevention Boost, that integrates financial counseling within municipally-led rental assistance and eviction prevention efforts in response to COVID-19.
The first step in launching such a pilot is working closely with FEC partners, and their local rental assistance and eviction prevention programs, to design how this integration might work across a range of local contexts. The CFE Fund is providing technical assistance to support Pittsburgh efforts to establish the pilot program.
“We are pleased to be working in coordination with the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County Department of Human Services, and other local partners to provide additional resources for housing stabilization through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. With this integration, households receiving rental assistance will have access to ongoing, one-on-one support from a trained and certified financial professional, that will lead to measurable outcomes in financial health.” Sarah Dieleman Perry, Director of Economic Opportunity, Neighborhood Allies.
The Pittsburgh FEC offers free professional one-on-one financial counseling for individuals and families looking to address their financial challenges and plan for their futures. Any area resident over the age of 18 can register to meet regularly with an accredited financial counselor — by phone or video during the pandemic — who will help them define and reach their own financial goals.
As of this March, the FEC had provided direct personal financial management support to 868 people since the City of Pittsburgh and Neighborhood Allies launched the program in March 2019, leading to nearly $1.3 million in total debt reduction and $1 million in increased savings.
