ABOUT CFE COALITION
  CFE Coalition Member Cities

   New York City
   In collaboration with Mayor Bloomberg’s Center for Economic Opportunity the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs’ Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE) leads citywide initiatives to educate, empower and protect New Yorkers with low incomes. OFE leads targeted advocacy and enforcement efforts to protect consumers from predatory and unfair practices, while collaborating with financial education providers to build capacity and improve quality of financial education services throughout New York City. OFE spearheads large-scale public awareness campaigns, including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Coalition Campaign which distributed two million brochures in 12 languages and increased access to free and low-cost tax preparation assistance in the most recent tax season. OFE is also partnering with financial institutions, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropies to pilot innovative programs to help consumers save and manage their money safely and smartly.

 
   San Francisco
   The San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment was created to help lower-income San Franciscans become financially empowered San Franciscans. Empowered people create businesses, keep stable families, get involved in communities, and build the tax base. Each time a cycle of financial insecurity is broken, a cycle of growth begins, and every San Franciscan benefits.

The San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment is housed within the Office of the Treasurer of San Francisco. Our mission is to use City Hall's strength and influence to help more of the City's lower-income residents enter the financial mainstream. Ultimately, our job consists of giving people opportunities: to learn more about money, open a checking account, take advantage of tax credits, save for a child’s college education, overcome setbacks, and gain independence.

 
   Chicago
   Chicago's financial empowerment initiative is spearheaded by the Office of the City Treasurer. Building on the office’s current efforts on community programs, the initiative is focused on three areas: Youth, Family/Community, and Small Business. Each of these areas focuses on building public-private partnerships around the areas of financial education, increasing opportunities to access financial services, and developing innovative asset-building products.

 
   County of Hawai'i
   The County of Hawai'i advocates for policies and practices that encourage family economic self-sufficiency, drawing upon the resources of the Ho'owaiwai Hawai'i Island Asset Building Network (HIABN). HIABN brings together local government, schools, philanthropic organizations, financial service providers, and nonprofit agencies to advance the financial health and well-being of island families. Early initiatives include Children's Savings Project, Youth Individual Development Account (IDA), first time homeowner education, expansion of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites, and improving access to culturally and age-appropriate financial education programs. The county’s financial empowerment efforts are supported and inspired by the work of the statewide Ho'owaiwai Hawai'i Asset Building Network (HABN).

 
   Los Angeles
   “At this time of change and challenge nationwide, it is the responsibility of leaders across the United States to take bold, decisive action to ensure that our working families have the tools to weather today’s storm and prepare for a brighter tomorrow. Along with our partners in the CFE coalition, we will bring new ideas and a fresh vision to the table, and provide our families with the resources and assets to build a stable foundation for financial success long into the future.”
- Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa

 
   Louisville
   Louisville has long focused on increasing residents' income through job creation and job training strategies, as well as subsidies for housing and other basic needs. In recent years Louisville has created new programs to address another issue: helping vulnerable individuals and families achieve economic security.

The City's financial empowerment efforts are led by the Louisville Metro Department of Community Services and Revitalization (CSR). CSR has begun integrating financial empowerment strategies into its client service programs—either through direct provision or by increasing access to resources related to asset building—to better help families boost income, reduce debt, save, and build and protect assets. Regardless of the need that draws a client for services, improving financial capability becomes the focus. Programs include: Family Economic Success Program; Federal Housing Assistance Programs (Shelter Plus Care, HOME, HOPWA, ESG, PSH, HPRP, HFRT); Community Action Partnership's (CAP) Finance 4 U and Micro-Enterprise Programs; Down Payment Assistance Program; Weatherization Assistance Program.

CSR also develops partnerships and coordinates empowerment work inside and outside government to expand access to financial education, mainstream banking and wealth-building opportunities. Current efforts include Bank On Louisville in partnership with the Department of Economic Growth and Innovation and in collaboration with more than 90 community-based partners; the Family Economic Success Network and its newest initiative "Money Talks" which is funded through Living Cities.

 
   Miami
   Under the umbrella of ACCESS Miami (Assets, Capital, Community, Education, Savings and Success), the City of Miami focuses on combining city resources with those available in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. ACCESS Miami is comprised of four main elements: 1) access to existing benefits; 2) access to capital; 3) building wealth and accumulating assets; and 4) improving financial literacy. Services include free tax preparation, an online counselor-assisted platform called the Benefits Bank to simplify access to local, state and federal benefits, an Individual Development Account (IDA) program funded by city and federal dollars, and a small business micro-lending program. Current efforts are focused on a financial counseling program which will guide clients through the asset building cycle from establishing a bank account and basic savings, to eventual home ownership and retirement savings.

 
   Newark
   Newark’s financial empowerment mission is coordinated out of the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development. Working closely with Newark Now, a nonprofit founded by Cory Booker before he became mayor, the City works to economically empower residents by supporting initiatives that increase access to benefits, save residents precious dollars, help build assets, and provide financial education to the community at large. Initiatives include financial and legal counseling, a robust VITA program, and an IDA fund that matches deposited savings for eligible residents. The City of Newark also brings innovative financial empowerment opportunities to Newarkers through initiatives including a Bank On Newark campaign, which aims to remove obstacles that block un-banked Newarkers from opening bank accounts and to expose residents to mainstream financial relationships; and a Financial Helpline that brought volunteers with finance backgrounds into the City's 311 call center to answer residents’ personal finance questions for free. 

 
   Providence
   The City of Providence's financial empowerment work is led by Mayor Taveras' Pathways to Opportunity Office. The mission of the office is to increase mobility into the middle class by increasing opportunities for low-income families to build their incomes and financial assets.

About Pathways to Opportunity:
  • Helps low-income Providence residents obtain employment opportunities and begin developing career pathways
  • Reduces the "high cost of being poor" by creating affordable financial services for low-wage residents, increasing access to financial literacy and counseling, and reducing predatory lending and other high-cost practices
  • Connects youth to jobs and post-secondary education
  • Increases access to key work support programs that help with basic needs

 
   San Antonio
   San Antonio’s financial empowerment programs are housed in the Department of Community Initiatives, which has responsibility for family economic success and promoting economic self-sufficiency. The city’s Family Economic Success program provides opportunities to increase assets through accessing tax credits, encouraging savings and promoting financial education. San Antonio’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is the second largest in the country and, in addition to providing free tax preparation, VITA sites link clients to local, state and federal benefits, savings products, suitable banking services, financial education and a city-funded IDA program. San Antonio has created some of the country’s most innovative programs, such as an alternative refund anticipation loan, a vehicle purchase program in partnership with Ford Motors, a foreclosure prevention program and an alternative payday loan product offered through a local credit union in partnership with Goodwill Industries.

 
   Savannah
   The City of Savannah manages its poverty reduction efforts through a powerful coalition called Step Up Savannah which combines the strengths of government, business and nonprofit agencies. Step Up Savannah was created to combat persistent poverty, and asset building was identified as a key factor in this effort. The Chatham Savannah Asset Development Coalition serves as the Step Up Action Team which coordinates the city’s VITA sites and leads its IDA efforts. Savannah’s tax preparation program has seen a 300% increase in the amount of EITC funds received by their clients; the city plans to add an Alternative Refund Anticipation Loan (ARAL) to their current available services this tax season. Step Up Savannah has been working closely with nine employers to bring tax assistance to their low-wage workers. Savannah has also created a banking task force to allow residents better access to the financial mainstream and currently has 12 banks and credit unions supporting these efforts.

 
   Seattle
   The City of Seattle builds its financial empowerment efforts around the philosophy that there should be "no wrong door" for accessing the full range of available services. The City focuses on key building blocks, including financial education; access to multiple public benefits; credit and debt assistance; financial planning, counseling, and coaching; access to affordable financial services and products; free tax preparation and taking advantage of tax credits; home ownership and foreclosure prevention; savings and investments; avoiding predatory financial services and products; and advocacy for reforms that protect consumers.

In 2007, the City founded and currently co-leads the Seattle-King County Asset Building Collaborative (SKC ABC), a network of more than 70 public and private organizations helping low-income and working families move toward financial self-sufficiency. SKC ABC has created a three-part workshop series designed to integrate financial empowerment into other service systems, so case managers can help clients understand, manage, and improve their financial situation.

Since 2008, more than 50,000 individuals have opened checking accounts through the Bank on Seattle-King County initiative. The City's free tax preparation campaign reaches about 14,000 residents each year. Twice annual community events bring financial empowerment resources directly to consumers, connecting them with one-time and ongoing services.