Free Financial Coaching All Over Lucas County Ohio and Other Places

A couple of years ago, we wrote about the opening of the Financial Opportunity Center in the Lagrange area of Toledo.  It made one-on-one financial coaching available to everybody in the zip codes of 43604, 43608, and 43611.  In the time since, the United Way and several institutions in Lucas County began working together to make those services available to everybody in the county, regardless of income.  Coaches work one-on-one with people to figure out ways to reach a person's own financial goals.

Where do you go for this service?  If you don't live in the zip codes above, here are two other places that you can contact for free personal financial coaching:

Crossroads Family Resource Center
4543 Douglas Road, Toledo, Ohio 43613
419.475.3258

East Toledo Family Center
1020 Varland Ave.
Toledo, OH 43605
Phone: 419.691.1429

If you don't live in Toledo, you might be interested in other cities where LISC (Local  Initiatives Support Corporation) has worked with local organizations to help create financial opportunity centers as they did in Toledo.  There are centers in 25 cities altogether.  Besides Toledo, they have FOCs in: Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati/Covington (KY), Detroit, Duluth (MN), Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo/Battle Creek (MI), Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Newark (NJ), Oakland/Richmond/San Jose (CA), Philadelphia, Providence/Woonsocket, San Diego.  To find the FOCs, use this directory of LISC local offices that you can contact and put you in touch with the community partner running the FOC.

Could You Use Some Financial Coaching and Advice? It May Be Out There.

What’s a financial opportunity center?  It’s a place where low or moderate income people can go to get help in setting long-term financial goals, like savings and investment, from people who aren’t selling products.  They can help think about where you would like to be financially in the long term, and how to use resources in your community like job training, benefits and income tax preparation as tools to get there.  This goes beyond “emergency help” and works to get people to the next level, where they are planning on creating financial assets and growing them for the long run.

 In north Toledo, ONE North has created a financial opportunity center at 2860 Lagrange Street near Dexter for people living in north Toledo. The phone number is (419) 724 5640.  You can get “financial coaching” to achieve your financial goals, income tax preparation, and financial education opportunities, like the budgeting and banking class on July 13th, or the class on credit and loans on July 23rd. 

But Toledo is just one city with financial opportunity centers.  Other places include Detroit, Houston, Cincinnati, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Chicago, Indianapolis, San Diego and more.  They are funded in cooperation with LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation), a national nonprofit, but they are run by local nonprofits in their cities.  Look for the local LISC office in your area and ask if there is a local nonprofit with such programs.  They can tell you if they have a local nonprofit partner that provides such services.