Date: November 17, 2015
Description: A webinar was held to present findings from the City Scan of Local Financial Inclusion Efforts, conducted by the National League of Cities (NLC). Seeking to explore the various ways that city leaders are promoting financial inclusion, the NLC Institute for Youth, Education, and Families developed the City Scan of Local Financial Inclusion Efforts (Scan) in collaboration with United Way Worldwide and CFS.
This study was intent on documenting the innovative ways that city programs have expanded access to financial services for low-income residents. These local empowerment efforts are key to the take-up of available benefits and tax credits, building assets of local populations, providing tools for residents to manage money more effecively, and increasing financial stability as a whole. The webinar explored several areas of the study:
- Background and context behind the study
- Methodology and findings from the scan
- Discussion of current programs and efforts from two of the participating cities
Presenters included:
Heidi Goldberg, Director, Institute for Youth, Education and Families
Economic Opportunity and Financial Empowerment, National League of Cities
Leah Gjertson, Senior Research Assistant, Center for Financial Security
Discussants from two of the cities featured in the scan presented:
Johnny DuPree, Mayor of Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Amber Paxton, Office of Financial Empowerment, Lansing, Michigan
“City Financial Inclusion Efforts: A National Overview” Resources and Links:
Website to access full report: http://www.nlc.org/find-city-solutions/institute-for-youth-education-and-families/family-economic-success/financial-inclusion
Financial inclusion blog series: http://citiesspeak.org/category/financial-inclusion-blog-series/
University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Financial Security 