CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — The City of Charleston is making it easier for people to get financial help with the launch of their Financial Empowerment Center.
The center was created in partnership with the National Financial Empowerment Fund to provide residents with free financial counseling and coaching services.
Residents can sign up for one-on-one financial counseling sessions both in person and online, focusing on debt management, housing disputes, employment disputes and saving strategies. Each session will be tailored to individual financial goals.
“We don’t all get financial education. I don’t think the majority of people get financial education growing up,” Mindy Sturm, the City of Charleston’s director of Economic and Neighborhood Services said. “This kind of information is something that can be very easily missed by many of us, myself included.”
The city also applied for a $40,000 grant from the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund to bring on an Equal Justice Fellow. The fellow will assist residents with legal matters that extend beyond basic financial counseling.
The center will also provide guidance on the financial side of end-of-life planning.
“Legacy planning is really about protecting your assets for future generations. Sometimes people may not realize the assets that they have to offer,” Sturm said. “Just talking through that can be helpful.”
Services will include assistance with power of attorney documents and health care power of attorney arrangements.
City officials said they created the center to help residents access financial education and legal assistance without the burden of legal fees. Any Charleston resident can request a session to work toward financial goals such as homeownership or saving for education.
Residents can sign up for personalized coaching at the Financial Empowerment Center website.
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