Summit County’s first Financial Empowerment Center is now open in Akron’s Kenmore neighborhood. The center will provide free, ongoing financial counseling to any individual in the county regardless of income.
United Way of Summit County President Jim Mullen says counselors have laid out a plan to track their success.
“Our counselors are certified and trained by the cities for Financial Empowerment out of New York City and they will be focused on five key areas: ... Does every person have a family budget, are they in a safe and affordable banking relationship, what is their current debt situation, what’s their current asset situation and what’s their current credit score?”
The city of Akron and United Way of Summit County collaborated over the past year to open the center. Their goal is to improve the financial stability of those seeking help.
The center is one of 20 across the U.S with funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies.