Help 80 Women Find Jobs & Financial Independence

WEN serves a broad spectrum of women throughout the Kansas City metro area who are unemployed, under-employed, new to the workforce, or seeking to re-enter the workplace. Women must be at least 18 years old with a high school diploma or equivalent. Approximately 75% of WEN clients have incomes below the federal poverty level. Likewise, women who come to WEN face a variety of challenges to securing employment, including homelessness or unstable housing, finding and affording childcare, insufficient or nonexistent medical or mental health care, limited means of transportation, substance abuse and recovery, and domestic violence.

As we move into 2017, the economic future of our clients remains more uncertain than ever. Fortunately, over the past several years, WEN has worked diligently to stregthen our Financial Coaching services. In November of 2013, WEN was designated as a Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Financial Opportunity Center (FOC). Using the nationally recognized and highly acclaimed Financial Opportunity Center model, WEN's program is one of only four in the metropolitan area. Our Financial Coaches work with clients to change their financial behavior in a way that encourages them to make a long-term commitment to increasing monthly net income, credit building, and acquisition of assets. By stabilizing family incomes, we are helping to stabilize our urban neighborhoods and ultimately affect and benefit the entire community.

Our financial coaches provide:

• Individualized, one-on-one financial coaching, meeting the client where they are, and focused on short-term and long-term goals as it relates to personal finances. 

• Support in developing a personal spending plan, including consistent monitoring, review, and accountability.

• Access to credit building tools, credit counseling, and credit dispute resolution. 

2015-2016 Financial Coaching Outcomes:

In 2015, WEN began providing financial education workshops and one-on-one financial coaching to community members in conjunction with the Kansas City Public Library. Targeted community members included: women of diverse groups, immigrants, and adults ages 55 and over. WEN began delivering financial workshops through the Kansas City Public Library system. Curriculum for five separate financial workshops includes: Budgeting, Banking Basics, Credit, Payday Loans, and Identity Theft. Outcomes include:

• 180 Financial coaching clients
• 21 coaching clients each month
• 44 participants decreased their outstanding collections
• 53 participants improved credit score

Links:

• WEN's eNewsletter

• 2015-2016 Annual Report (PDF)