When new clients find Jackson nonprofit One22 Resource Center, one first step is to fill out a sheet. On one side is income, often from more than one job. On the other side is expenses.
Questions are bound to come up: ‘Is this normal?’ or ‘How much money are people saving?’ or ‘Where should I be saving my money?’
These are at the heart of a free budgeting workshop the nonprofit is set to host at 5:30 pm on Thursday, April 15 at the Teton County Library in both English and Spanish.
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One22 has been doing a similar workshop for a few years, said Director of Community Engagement Seadar Davis, but need is also growing. Around 3,500 individuals received help from the nonprofit in 2024, according to annual reports. That was a 29% increase from the year before and a 74% increase from 2021. Cost of living, particularly housing and rent, has grown much faster than wages in recent years, according to Teton County data.
“I think people think [budgeting] is really hard and it’s impossible to do, and so we’re trying to demystify that.” she said. “This is the first step.”
It can be daunting to take stock, said Libby Gardner, One22’s outreach and events coordinator. But in addition to helping people when they lose housing, need food, or other times of acute stress, the center that runs the Jackson Cupboard and provides rent assistance aims to help before those needs materialize.
“We do so much in financial and food assistance and helping people in times of crisis, in times of everyday hardship,” Gardner said. “We feel like it’s not enough to just be doing that without having some educational components.”
Walk-ins are welcome but registration is requested for the event at One22jh.org.