Financial Services and Economic Justice

BPNC began our Financial Services department in 2009 in response to the housing market crash of 2007.

 

This initiative had two main goals:

1. Promote foreclosure prevention counseling offered through BPNC, in order to ensure that families who are entering into foreclosure may remain in their homes

2. Organize a Foreclosure Prevention Task Force consisting of community leaders, businesses, and institutions dedicated to addressing the foreclosure crisis on a systemic level.  

 

In order to provide comprehensive services for families facing foreclosure and financial instability, BPNC became a member of UnidosUS (formerly known as NCLR) Homeownership Network and is currently a HUD-approved counseling agency. BPNC’s financial services focus on increasing families’ financial capacity and providing direct foreclosure counseling to increase their financial health. 

 

Currently, BPNC provides the following free financial services for people in and outside Chicago:

1. HUD-approved housing counseling - foreclosure prevention, pre-purchase, post-purchase, and rental counseling for landlords and tenants

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2. One-on-one financial coaching – credit improvement, savings, budgeting, banking, financial planning, and workforce development

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3. Group financial literacy workshops – scam and fraud prevention, credit building, using the Consumer Financial Bureau financial literacy curriculum

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4. Family financial stability program – comprehensive case management for homeless or near homeless families, connecting them to basic needs services and supports, develop school-based student groups to build the self-esteem for homeless and near-homeless students, and help families find stable housing

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5. Basic needs and public benefit enrollment – annually enrolling individuals in public benefits programs such as Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),  and emergency food and shelter funding