| Gateway's Wish List
CCCS has received a grant for partial funding of a technology upgrade...which will allow us to 1. improve accessibility for our services and 2. help more people without increasing program costs.
If you know of a foundation/corporation that might be interested in partnering in such a project, please let us know.
CCCS provides numerous educational programs each year to groups interested in learning how to budget more effectively. If your group is interested in booking an educational program, please contact Doug Horst at dhorst@gway.org. |
| Kathleen Ross
Gateway
1401 20th Street South
Birmingham, AL 35205 205-510-2612
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| Greetings!
Spring has officially sprung...It seems like twenty minutes ago we were sponsoring more than 400 kids for Christmas, and now we're planning for summer activities!! Where does the time go?
Anyway, here is the latest version of Gateway's e-Newsletter...I hope you enjoy it. |
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Consumer Credit Counseling Service - CCCS
The general economy is struggling; unemployment, foreclosures, and bankruptcies continue to rise; and the cost of living is increasing (gas, food, etc.), often without a comparable increase in wages. This can lead to increased money fights at home, ruined credit, workplace stress, etc. CCCS addresses these issues and more by teaching basic principles of money management and by helping clients establish a workable budget which, if followed, can lead or return them to a level of economic self-sufficiency.
CCCS provided 140 financial education group sessions in 2008 to teach budget and credit-related skills in an attempt to prevent financial/credit problems. CCCS also provided more than 1260 individual counseling appointments, assisting consumers to establish liveable budgets, work their way out of debt, and/or avoid foreclosure.
CCCS receives referrals from banks and mortgage companies to provide housing counseling to individuals and groups, including non-profits such as Habitat for Humanity. CCCS provides financial education for/with groups at Shepherd's Fold, St. Anne's, Pathways, UAB, participants in United Way of Central Alabama's Assets for Independence Program, the Asset Building Coalition of Alabama, and MANY others. In 2008, CCCS also collaborated with The Women's Fund of Greater Birmingham and Regions Bank to provide financial education classes for women over 50 years of age. CCCS actively participates with United Way and other organizations to plan and promote events and services that focus on financial literacy. This includes being part of the steering committee of the fairly recently formed Central Alabama Financial Education Coalition.
Doug Horst |
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Becky and John (both names changed) are a "typical" middle class family. However, John lost his job nearly two years ago and has had extreme difficulty finding another one. When coming to CCCS in the fall of 2008, he was finally working part-time, but the damage had been done. Becky and John were months behind on their mortgage and facing a foreclosure. CCCS immediately intervened with the mortgage lender to "buy some time" for the couple to obtain a more permanent solution and helped put a strict budget plan together for the family to follow.
After literally months of phone calls, paperwork, more phone calls, and partnering with Legal Services to help stop another foreclosure attempt hours before the house was to be sold, John and Becky were finally approved for a modification of their mortgage to a payment they could afford on Becky's income. This has allowed them to remain in their home with much less stress in their family; and it gives John the opportunity to focus exclusively on his employment search.
Doug Horst
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