Financial Health

The Health Fund has partnered with Interfaith Housing and Community Services – a Hutchinson-based organization which seeks to alleviate poverty and build community through housing assistance, financial education and individual empowerment – to provide a special opportunity for Kansans and for churches in the Great Plains Conference to increase financial wellness in their communities and congregations.

Interfaith’s Take Control Collaborative Coaching promotes financial wellness through client-centered behavior-based education which can help anyone reach their financial goals through healthy decision-making. This online training equips your staff or volunteers to move beyond short-term, crisis assistance to building relationships and walking alongside individuals towards their goals for economic sufficiency with dignity.

Take Control covers strategies including management of personal finances, successful navigation of the financial market, access to financial products and services, and encouragement and support to practice positive financial behaviors that help people achieve their goals, including:

• Regulating spending in order to increase household cash flow
• Managing debt and leveraging credit in order to maintain positive credit profiles
• Implementing intentional savings in order to gain security and protection for the future
• Making disciplined decisions in order to execute financial plans and reach financial goals

Interfaith also offers an Individual Development Account (IDA) program, which empowers individuals and families who qualify to develop and maintain solid financial foundations by helping them save for the purchase of a high-return asset, including:

• Buying a home
• Making repairs to a home
• Continuing education through college or technical training
• Starting or growing a small business

Upon completion of the class, clients are eligible to open a savings account and receive a 2:1 match for every dollar they save. Qualifying households save for a minimum of six months toward the purchase of their asset.

Learn more about the program in the webinar recording and fill out the interest form to register.

Take Control details

Session:
Thursday, August 11 and Thursday, August 18, from 9 a.m.-noon. Participation in both sessions is required to complete the training.

Grantees receive:
-two sessions of virtual training and coaching
-curriculum

Deadline:
August 4 or until filled

Questions:
Dashinika Poindexter, dashinika@healthfund.org

“I decided to participate in Take Control financial training because I have worked with food banks and commodity distribution for several years. We are constantly asking what we can do to have an impact on the situations that people are facing. We are always in crisis mode. In this course, I learned how to talk to people to move into a more personal relationship. How can we be there if they decide to make a change in their lives? We need to be able to respond with visioning activities, open-ended questions, and support of what is available. I believe it is possible to impact lives, using different forms of communication, setting different expectations for myself, seeing that there are resources available.  The client determines the course of action and the outcomes.”

-Sheryl, 2022 course participant

“I am always looking for new ways to improve financial stewardship, so I participated in the training to hopefully find ways to help our congregation become more financially secure. A valuable course lesson is that goals and planning can be useful to everyone at any stage in their financial health. I believe the materials and templates provided are very helpful.  My perspective is now more centered on providing financial coaching to individuals rather than sharing more general concepts to the entire congregation.”

-Tammy, 2022 course participant