Financial Empowerment Models
There is not a one-size-fits–all approach for serving persons with disabilities in financial empowerment programs. There are multiple ways in which municipalities and disability/financial stability service providers can strengthen the financial empowerment of persons with disabilities. This section provides resources and tools that can help organizations and municipalities identify the ideal approach.
What are integrated services?
Often organizations begin to integrate financial empowerment strategies into their delivery of services with one strategy and build their program from there. This is frequently referred to as “integrated services,” which refers to integrating one or more financial empowerment strategies into an organization’s delivery of service. This can include integrating financial education, financial coaching or other financial empowerment strategies as part of the menu of services an organization offers.
The following resources provide insight on integrated service opportunities:
- Empowering Prosperity: Strengthening Human Services Impacts Through Asset Integration Toolkit — Read Guide
- Building Financial Capability: A Planning Guide for Integrated Services — Read Guide
- A Municipal Policy Blueprint for a More Inclusive Path to Prosperity — Read Guide
- Webinar: Inclusive Integrated Service Delivery — Watch Now
What are Integrated Services?
Often organizations begin to integrate financial empowerment strategies into their delivery of services with one strategy and build their program from there. This is frequently referred to as “integrated services,” which refers to integrating one or more financial empowerment strategies into an organization’s delivery of service. This can include integrating financial education, financial coaching or other financial empowerment strategies as part of the menu of services an organization offers.
The following resources provide insight on integrated service opportunities:
- Empowering Prosperity: Strengthening Human Services Impacts Through Asset Integration Toolkit — Read Guide
- Building Financial Capability: A Planning Guide for Integrated Services — Read Guide
- A Municipal Policy Blueprint for a More Inclusive Path to Prosperity — Read Guide
- Webinar: Inclusive Integrated Service Delivery — Watch Now
Financial Capability Models
Incorporating financial capability into the services your organization offers can help your customers address some of the financial stressors they might be facing and that might be getting in the way of achieving your program goals.
These resources describe different approaches for strengthening the financial capability of people with disabilities.
- Municipalities have a great potential for strengthening the financial stability of their residents with disabilities. In the following Empowered Cities webinar, the City of Louisville, KY shares how its Office of Financial Empowerment, Resilience and Community Services integrated financial empowerment strategies into their workforce development system to improve employment goals and financial behaviors for individuals with disabilities and how they established a community-wide culture of inclusiveness. Webinar: Defining Financial Inclusion for Persons with Disabilities and Why It Matters
- The following brief describes what financial coaching is and how it compares with other financial capability approaches: Financial Coaching – An Asset Building Strategy
- This toolkit offers tips and tools for how to embed financial education into existing workforce development programs, and provides additional resources to support continued learning: Integrating Financial Education Programs into American Job Centers and Community-Based Organizations
Free Tax Preparation
Using a network of trained volunteers, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites work directly with low- to moderate-income taxpayers to complete their tax returns, navigate the complicated filing process, use available tax benefits and get a maximum refund while avoiding unnecessary tax preparation fees.
This service is a critical component of financial capability for people with disabilities because it:
- provides an opportunity to discuss financial stability
- guides the tax payer on how to allocate their tax refund
- provides information on opening a bank account so the refund can be directly deposited
- connects individuals with other financial empowerment resources
Facilitating access to VITA or other free tax preparation services can be an important strategy to help clients maximize their income.
Learn more about how to increase access to free tax preparation services by visiting the Free Tax Preparation section of this website.
Other Steps in the Framework
I want to learn about:
1
The Needs of People with Disabilities
3
Taking Action and Implementing
4
Measuring and Sustaining Impact
Questions?
If you have questions about our Empowered Cities initiative or want more information about NDI’s projects, please call (202) 296-2040 or email info@ndi-inc.org.
