Helping families join the economic mainstream
Even before the current economic downturn, having a job did not guarantee that a family could make ends meet. The Moving to Wealth Pathway at The Center for Working Families, Inc., provides income-enhancing and asset-building services to help participants make ends meet and take steps to achieve family economic success.
With the current federal minimum wage at $6.55 an hour, a full-time worker would earn $13,624 – well below the Federal Poverty line for a family of three ($18,310). We use the EarnBenefits online benefit-screening tool to help connect participants to more than twenty public and private work supports – including food stamps, the Earned Income Tax Credit, health insurance, utility assistance, WIC, and many other supports that can help struggling families. Since 2006, TCWFI has helped return over $1 million in benefits to NPU-V.
TCWFI complements EarnBenefits with a host of other services aimed at helping participants save money and accumulate assets. These services include budgeting assistance, Individual Development Account programs, and homeownership classes.
Cinnamon Murray, a mother of two children, was already a homeowner when she came to TCWFI, but she was struggling to meet her financial obligations. She had a roundtrip daily commute of 40 miles to a low-paying job and her transportation costs consumed much of her income. When Cinnamon reviewed her finances with her Pathway Coach, they decided that she needed to find a more convenient job offering, better pay and career advancement opportunities. Cinnamon took advantage of a wide range of our services including financial planning, budgeting, mock job interviewing and our business center resources to help find a new job.
Eventually, she secured a job as an assistant property manager at a nearby apartment complex. Even after the staffs’ wages were reduced as a result of the economy, Cinnamon still earns more at her current job. When her original wage is restored, she will earn more than two times the Federal Minimum wage and $6.00 more per hour than her previous rate of pay.
Today, Cinnamon thanks TCWFI for opening the door to a new pathway for her family. “I am quick to tell everybody about The Center for Working Families,” she adds. “The Center will help you. I tell everybody about my experience, my journey from the beginning to the end.”