skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

A New Focus for Social Workers: Clients' Financial Savvy

play audio
Play

Tuesday, August 19, 2014   

EUGENE, Ore. - A new online toolkit that was tested in Oregon is showing social service case managers how to talk about and help improve their clients' personal finances.

Groups and agencies that advise lower-income Oregonians about the assistance they need can now also offer options on achieving a better long-term financial future. Case managers can use Your Money, Your Goals to bring up the sensitive subjects of debt, income, and how clients manage their money.

Mark Brower, manager of the Prosperity Forum at Goodwill Industries of Lane and South Coast Counties, says social workers don't have to be financial planners to make a positive impact.

"What this particular program was designed to do was help social services people become more comfortable with financial services," he says. "It gives them some tools so they can talk with their people about things that can really make a difference in their lives."

Your Money, Your Goals is part of a larger trend known as "financial wellness," in that a person's improved financial health can go a long way toward easing their other stresses and challenges. It was created by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and is available on the agency's website in English and Spanish.

Janet Byrd, executive director of the organization Neighborhood Partnerships, says the federal consumer watchdog agency came to Oregon for its pilot project.

"We worked with partners across the state testing the toolkit, and providing feedback to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau," she says. "Now we're really excited to see the toolkit roll out statewide."

Your Money, Your Goals gives case managers information to help people find and correct errors on their credit reports, evaluate financial products and services, and start budgeting, paying down debt and saving money. For those living paycheck-to-paycheck, Brower says these are critical skills.

"People in poverty actually have more need for financial education than those that have money," Brower says. "And the reason is, they have so little of it that there is no margin for error. So, for them to understand how to control their money is life-saving, not just life-changing."

Brower adds he's noticed lower-income clients will often say they have no goals, but they have dreams. He says a case manager who earns their trust can help them see that a dream can be a goal, and that it's achievable one step at a time.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021