Grabbing a cup of coffee on the way to work might seem like a nominal expense. But after taking a closer look, one emergency assistance client with diocesan Catholic Charities realized her daily caffeine boost added up to most of her monthly disposable income.
“It just kind of blew her mind and she never thought to track that before,” said Mary McNamee, assistant program director for emergency assistance. “She thought she had no disposable income and this was her little treat. Then she realized how much she actually had if she altered her life a little bit.”
There were no flashing arrows pointing to which changes the client could make to better her financial future. Instead, after receiving emergency assistance support from Catholic Charities, she was offered the opportunity to attend a free, two-hour online budgeting course through the Financial Empowerment Center at South County in Alexandria, a partner of the nonprofit Britepaths. The two organizations have collaborated with emergency assistance since 2022 as a partner host of live, virtual courses about financial literacy, car buying, resume help and interview skills.
“We have clients who have taken the resume classes and have gotten better jobs,” McNamee said. “We’ve had clients who have improved their credit score, and not only did it help them get a better credit score for future loans, but it helped reduce their car insurance rates.”
After several years of workshopping how to encourage course attendance, the CCDA team launched an incentive program in July 2023. Today, 13 percent of clients across the state have attended one of these courses. Clients who attend a course within 30 days of receiving assistance also receive a gift card and a certificate of completion from CCDA.
“We received gift cards from parishes during the Advent season,” said Sherri Longhill, program director of emergency assistance and acting director of community services. “We had thousands of dollars of gift cards, and that’s what we decided to use for this program. We’re fortunate that we have the inventory.”
The courses that provide clients with lifelong tools after receiving assistance are aiding the mission of diocesan Catholic Charities to provide dignity, respect, and service to the most vulnerable.
“We (have) distributed over $10,000 worth of gift cards,” McNamee said. “We have a little bit left for going into (this year) so we’re hoping that we get some more in.”
Over 80 of the 642 emergency assistance clients have participated in a course over the past year. Yet, the pool of gift card funds is dwindling. To extend the program funds, which are all donation based, they have decided to lower the incentive back from $100 to $75.
“We’ve had a few (clients) who have said that they would not have taken the class without the incentive,” McNamee said. “But once they took the class, it made a huge difference.”
Martha Borowski, financial empowerment program manager for Britepaths and the Financial Empowerment Center, describes how the curriculum allows the most vulnerable to gain life-changing knowledge.
“There’s no harsh criticism; there’s nobody looking down,” Borowski said. “It’s all in a very supportive environment where people feel like we’re here as their support system, or guiding them through it, where we’re not telling them what to do.”
The program has classes and workshops on credit reports and scores, managing debit, predatory lending, identity theft and banking. The partnership between the Financial Empowerment Center and Catholic Charities has allowed emergency assistance clients to gain financial security. Along with courses, Britepaths and the Financial Empowerment Center also offer free one-on-one coaching and workforce coaching for clients.
“It’s more about what you have and how we can help you get from maybe a financial crisis through that financial crisis and then beyond into a more stable environment,” Borowski said.
Clients who have strenuous circumstances, difficult job schedules, or family members to support have benefited from the courses that are offered completely online.
“Our clients are all over the diocese,” McNamee said. “It actually made it great because somebody who lives in Warrenton didn’t have to drive all the way to Alexandria or Fairfax County to participate.”
For one client struggling to make ends meet, the ability to attend a course online was a beneficial experience.
“She had a special needs child that needed around-the-clock care, so it was hard for her to work outside of their home,” McNamee said. “She took a class on building your own business, and she was so energized by it. She thought that might be the ticket to changing her family’s financial situation.”
For one client and her husband, who received support after falling victim to an online scam, they appreciated the course on scam prevention. With the encouragement and support of their daughter, who brought them in to receive their gift card and certificate, the couple has a renewed stability.
In nearly all the feedback McNamee and Longhill received about the program, they have sensed a common theme. McNamee said, “It’s providing hope.”
How to help
Send gift cards for the incentive program ($25 increments from Walmart or Target preferred) to Catholic Charities Loudoun Regional Office, Attn: Rose, 113 Executive Dr., Building #2, Suite 110, Sterling VA 20166.
