Economic Resilience Initiative

YWCA’s Economic Resilience Initiative offers a variety of resources for individuals to build skills and confidence with their personal finances. Includes financial workshops for domestic violence (DV) survivors, as well as training for community service providers.

We currently offer the following:

• Money Mechanics Workshop (Manejando tu propio dinero)
• Hope & Power for your Personal Finances (Esperanza y Poder para tus Finanzas Personales)
• Financial coaching
• Financial training for DV advocates
• Community resources and partners

Money Mechanics workshop

Free workshop for anyone who feels like their finances could use a tune-up, especially people who are low-income, unemployed, currently or recently homeless.

Over four sessions, learn new skills and gain a new understanding of your finances, including:

• Unmasking the mysteries of credit
• Debt management
• Budgeting and banking
• Goal setting
• Saving and investing

Food and child care are provided; transportation assistance is available on request. For more information, please email eri@ywcaworks.org. 

Manejando tu Propio Dinero

Taller gratuito para cualquier persona para construir sus habilidades de manejar tu dinero, especialmente las personas que son de bajos ingresos, desempleados, actualmente o recientemente sin hogar.

Se proporcionan alimentos y cuidado de niños y asistencia de transporte.

Hope & Power for Your Personal Finances

Abusers often use finances to maintain power over their partner, and worries about money are one of the main reasons women feel trapped in abusive relationships or return to their abusers.

This ten-week class supports survivors of domestic violence to become financially independent and build confidence in their own skills. Topics covered include:

• Safety planning and goal setting
• Budgeting and savings
• Checking and bank accounts
• Credit reports and scores
• Avoiding predatory lenders
• Taxes and legal issues
• Protecting yourself with insurance
• Housing and workers’ rights
• Education and Employment

Classes are offered at confidential locations throughout King and Snohomish Counties; child care, food and transportation assistance are provided. For more information, please email eri@ywcaworks.org. 

Esperanza y Poder para tus Finanzas Personales

Las clases de “Esperanza y Poder” son para aprender cómo manejar las finanzas para mujeres que han tenido una relación abusiva. Muchos abusadores usan el dinero como una manera de controlar a su pareja. Nuestra meta en la clase es apoyar mujeres para que sean más independientes económicamente y que tengan más auto-estima y confianza en sus propias capacidades.

Ofrecemos las clases en varios lugares confidenciales en el condado de King. Tenemos cuidado de los niños y ayudamos con tarjetas para gasolina o tiquetes de bus.

Para más información, escribe al eri@ywcaworks.org.

Financial coaching

Need help setting financial goals and creating an action plan to reach them? One-on-one financial coaching is available to anyone who has completed Money Mechanics or Hope & Power classes.

These coaches will not “fix” your finances or tell you what to do. They walk through the financial process with you and ask questions to help deepen your learning and spark action around your finances.

• Review your budgets or credit report; get referrals to other community resources.
• Make a single appointment or enroll for up to six months.
• Participants must have attended Money Mechanics or Hope & Power classes.

To enroll in financial coaching, please email eri@ywcaworks.org. 

¿Necesita ayuda para establecer objetivos financieros y crear un plan de acción para alcanzarlos? Entrenamiento financiero está disponible para cualquier persona que ha completado la taller Manejando tu Propio Dinero o las clases de Esperanza y Poder.

Para inscribirse en el entrenamiento financiero, escribe al eri@ywcaworks.org.

Training for domestic violence advocates

The Economic Resilience Initiative team offers training to help domestic violence advocates incorporate financial education into their work and connect them with asset-building community resources.

Training offered include:

• Fullday financial empowerment workshops for domestic violence advocates in King County
• Shorter trainings and workshops are available, especially for agencies located in suburban areas or that serve specialized populations

Partner agencies that have worked with YWCA’s Economic Resilience Initiative include: Abused Deaf Womens’ Advocacy Services (ADWAS), Consejo, DAWN, Mother Nation, St Vincent de Paul’s Centro Rendu, The DoVE Project, Lifewire, New Beginnings, Solid Ground Broadview Shelter and Financial Boot camp programs.

To request training for your organization, please contact eri@ywcaworks.org.

Community resources and partners

Thanks to the numerous community-based programs and partners that help YWCA to build economic advancement and resilience in the region. This includes:

• Money Mechanics partners: Alpine Mortgage Planning, American Financial Solutions, Edward Jones, Evergreen Financial Services, First Financial NW Bank,  Key Bank, ReMax, Waldel Reed
• Hope & Power partners: Bank of America, Banner Bank, BECU, Express Credit Union, HomeStreet Bank
• Community partners: Allstate Insurance, American Financial Solutions, Bank on Seattle/King County, Clearpoint Credit Counseling, Crisis Clinic, El Centro de la Raza, Financial Empowerment Network of Seattle/King County, Fair Work Center, Food$ense, Green River Community College, Highline Community College, Jump$tart Coalition, King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, Northwest Justice Project, SavOn Insurance, Seattle Education Access, Solid Ground Tenant Services, United Way Free Tax Prep Campaign, Ventures, StartZone, Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Washington State WorkSource, and YWCA’s Sexual Violence Legal Services

To learn how you can become a community partner, please email eri@ywcaworks.org.