THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FINANCIAL STABILITY AND HOMELESSNESS, FOR SOME FAMILIES,
MAY BE A SIMPLE CONVERSATION.
The difference between financial stability and homelessness, for some families, may be a simple conversation. MakingChange, a financial counseling nonprofit in Howard County, helps to provide the coaching and support m
any lower-wage workers need to stave off big money problems.
Joanne Davis, co-founder and partner at Synergies Consulting Group and recently appointed chair of MakingChange’s board of directors, realizes how important preventive financial support can be to people struggling to make ends meet.
Davis says her main goal is to help people avoid bankruptcy and homelessness. “I want people to look at where they are and see how they could go forward rather than go backwards.”
MakingChange offers financial support through free programs, including tax preparation, community events for teens and one-on-one counseling. The counseling, says Davis, has the most impact on the community.
“When someone says ‘I care about you, I want to know how you’re doing and how I can help you’ and then listens, and listens and listens some more,” Davis says, can make a big difference.
Although some programs are available to workers at all income levels, MakingChange’s primary target is those in Howard County making less than $50,000, Davis says. And there are plenty in Howard County who meet that standard.
“People who need help are everywhere,” Davis says.
