This document summarizes a congressional briefing on the Center for Working Families (CWF) approach to helping families achieve economic security. It discusses how CWFs bundle employment, income, and financial services to improve outcomes. Data shows that CWF participants have increased income, credit scores, and savings. The approach is flexible and can work through different platforms like community colleges. Mature CWF sites have found direct connections between financial and workforce outcomes, and that systems change requires partnerships. United Way of the Bay Area's SparkPoint Centers use a similar bundled approach and have helped over 7,000 participants, with many making financial progress through increased income, credit scores, savings, and debt reduction. Key lessons are that bundling works

1. CONGRESSIONAL
BRIEFING
December 4, 2012

2. Presenters
Anne Wilson, Chief Executive Officer
United Way of the Bay Area
Susan Gewirtz, Senior Associate, Family Economic Success
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Lorne Needle, Chief Community Investment Officer,
United Way of the Bay Area
Kevin Jordan, Vice President, National Programs,
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Colin Austin, Senior Program Director
MDC
Tse Ming Tam, VP Community Investment
United Way of the Bay Area

3. Even with jobs, families
struggle to achieve
economic security
Center for Working Families
(CWF)
“No matter how hard you work,
you can’t save money for toys or
pizza.”
“There I am doing the right thing,
and whoa! I’m in another hole that
I’ve got to fill up.”

4. • Creator of the CWF concept
• Provided seed funding and technical assistance
• Supports ongoing evaluation
• Facilitates sharing lessons and findings
• Builds a leadership group of funders and
implementers to scale and improve the
approach

5. CWFs bundle services
within and across 3 strategy areas
Employment/ Income/ Work Financial Services /
Career Supports Asset Building
Development
Job readiness, Public benefits access Educational workshops
job placement and financial coaching
Hard skills training, Tax credits One-on-one financial
job placement coaching and counseling
Career advancement: Student financial aid Financial services
education and skill products: access to better
training, advising priced products (check
cashing, loans, savings)

6. CWFs make a real
financial difference for families
2006 tax
refund
$3,100 EITC,
$1,500 Child Tax
Credit
Earning Credit
$21,500 score rose
Steady Joan 488 to 525
worker to 578
Smith
CWF participant
(2004-07) Two
children
Started
Reduced home-
debt based
from $3900 business
to $0 with $1,700
from savings

7. Bundling services increases critical
outcomes
2008 report
Average Annual Costs
per participant
Bon Secours
$1,600
2006-09
CNM Community
College
$843
2006-09
Met Center
$1,900
2006-07

8. CWF participants improving financial
health across variety of metrics
Abt Associates, 2011
• 55% improved their credit status, 2008-09
• Participants improved their financial behaviors
– Tracked their expenses, filed tax returns, reduced their use
of refund anticipation loans, and saved for future purchases
• Participants maintained stable monthly income
– Through combining reduced earnings with increased income
and work supports (despite the recession)
• Participants reduced use of debt to cover living expenses
– While increased asset-building debt

9. CWF approach is flexible
Works with different platforms and populations
PLATFORM TYPES
1. National intermediaries with neighborhood-based
community partners
– Key Measures : Total Family Income, Net Worth, Credit Scores,
Employment Retention
2. Community Colleges
– Key Measures: Student Retention, Credits Earned, Credential and
Degree Achievement, Income and Asset Improvements
3. Head Start programs, emerging strategy
– Key Measures: Emergency Savings, Employment, Total Family
Income, and Long-term Social, Emotional and Cognitive Benefits for
Children

10. Local Communities Creating
National Impact

11. The San Francisco Bay Area

12. LISC
Financial
Opportunity
Centers

13. Number Served
July 1, 2011- June 30, 2012
Across all sites 2011-2012
Fiscal Year
Who received at least 2 types of services (bundled) 14,950
As a % total participants 71%
People placed in employment 5,200
Net Income increases for those actively managing budgets 74%
Credit Score improvements for those addressing the score 60%
Total co-investment leveraged $8,400,000

14. Demographics
Percentage of clients who… 2011-2012
Fiscal Year
are female 56.6%
are African American/Black 57.8%
are Latino/Hispanic 26.2%
have a high school diploma or less 63.1%
are below Federal Poverty Line at program 76.1%
entry
have criminal backgrounds 32.4%
are working at program entry 27.3%

15. Learnings from Mature Sites
• Direct connection between
financial and workforce
outcomes
– Raising income & lowering
expenses together lead to
better client success over time
• Systems change
requires partnerships
– LISC and United Way
working together in eight cities
– Community colleges working
with CBOs in four cities

16. MDC Centers
for Working
Families
Helping
Students
Succeed

17. The opportunity & challenge
• Community colleges are uniquely positioned
to help individuals and families
move out of poverty
through education and training
• 75% of community college students
work and/or support a family,
and need financial resources
to complete post-secondary credentials

18. What do students experience?
• Financial Education Workshops
• Personal Financial Coaching
• Income Tax Assistance
• Matched Savings Programs

19. Achievements
• Increased student retention
• Local partnerships leveraged
multiple sources of public and private funding
• Colleges institutionalizing practices
for long-term sustainability

20. United Way
of the Bay Area
SparkPoint Centers

21. What is the goal of SparkPoint?
We’re testing a model…
…to move as many individuals to financial stability as possible.
21

22. Financial stability defined
All Centers share the goal of helping individuals achieve financial stability,
as defined by

23. SparkPoint Results
2009-present
• 7,000+ participants served at 10 sites
• 55% made financial progress
– Credit Average credit score increased 80 points from 550 to 620
– Savings Average savings increased $215
– Debt Average debt reduction is $1,710
– Income Average annual income increased by $9,132
• Clients who bundle are 5 times more likely to make progress
– 4% of non-bundlers vs. 21% of bundlers
• Better integration improves bundling rates

24. Key Lessons Learned
Participants
1. Bundling works
2. Success takes time
3. Language, education and work experience
influence outcomes
4. Uniform eligibility criteria makes it easier for
working families to get the help they need

25. Key Lessons Learned
Systems
1. Model changes how organizations work
together
2. Better leverages resources
3. Better leverages data
4. Success takes time

26. Questions &
Discussion