The recent expansion of NeighborWorks America's network will allow member organizations to make an even greater collective impact in a number of areas, including education for future homeowners, financial coaching and wrap-around support through partnerships. The network also adds new Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), providing affordable lending opportunities for low- and middle-income individuals and businesses.

Mary Ann Cuellar knows the importance of resources. So in March of 2020, when the pandemic forced many financial coaches and housing counselors to provide services in an online-only format, she immediately began calling her clients on the phone to make sure they were okay and had the resources they needed. 

When people seek to improve their finances, credit is one of the top three concerns people have, believes Sarah Chenven, chief operating and strategy officer for Credit Builders Alliance (CBA).

Warren Dawson has lived in one of RUPCO Inc.'s apartment communities in Kingston, New York, for three years. Before that, he was homeless for some time in South Carolina, he says. He stayed in shelters and in parks. He eventually went north to New York for a funeral and decided to stay to be closer to family. That's when he entered a shelter program for veterans, qualifying through his service in the National Guard and the U.S. Army.

Ruby Phillips was almost ready for her socially distanced appointment with the volunteers at NeighborWorks Umpqua in March, but she'd forgotten one of the documents she needed. They worked her in later that same day, she says.

"When you're late to a doctor's appointment, you usually have to reschedule," says Phillips, who lives in an apartment owned and managed by the NeighborWokrs organization. "But they got me in that day. You talk about surprised."

It's Financial Capability Month, a time to highlight the importance of financial education and financial literacy.

A number of NeighborWorks America network organizations help their clients with taxes, often via Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs, which offer free tax preparation to anyone making $54,000 a year or less. They have it running like a well-oiled machine. They know who their volunteers are, where they're meeting the clients and how long preparation for each client will likely take.

April is Financial Capability Month, a time when schools, credit unions, nonprofits – even the government – try to raise awareness about the importance of financial capability. It's also spring. And what better way to join the two than by doing some financial spring cleaning?

When she needs inspiration, Chrystel Cornelius looks to her grandmother. A member of the tribal nation of The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Mary Cornelius was the victim of assimilation, sent to boarding school to learn to be someone else's idea of "American."But after she graduated, she became a founder of the American Indian Movement, a civil rights organization.