LISC Phoenix Celebrates Expansion of Financial Opportunity Center Network

May 9, 2019 – The Valley of the Sun will soon be home to two new career and financial coaching service centers, thanks to LISC Phoenix and two local nonprofit partners.

The two new sites, known as Financial Opportunity Centers (FOCs), are hosted by the Tempe Community Action Agency and the Arouet Foundation, joining LISC’s network of more than 80 FOCs across the country. The sites will officially be welcomed into the network during a celebration in Tempe on May 14.

FOCs provide employment and career counseling, one-on-one financial coaching and education and low-cost financial products that help build credit, savings and assets. They also connect clients with income supports such as food stamps, utilities assistance and affordable health insurance. “Our FOCs are embedded in local community organizations that are trusted, known for their history of providing quality services, and convenient to where people live and seek out services,” said Terry Benelli, Executive Director of LISC Phoenix. “We’ve witnessed incredible success stories at our FOC sites in the valley and look forward to seeing the positive impact this expansion has on our community.”

Research shows that FOC clients who take advantage of combined services are 50 percent more likely to land a well-paying job than people receiving employment services alone. And long-term job retention—holding a job for a year or more—almost doubles when financial coaching reinforces the work of employment counseling.

The expansion celebration will feature national LISC CEO Maurice Jones, who in addition to welcoming the new FOCs, will highlight the success of current Valley FOCs at the International Rescue Committee and Desert Mission Food Bank. RSVP information about the event can be found here: http://www.liscphoenix.org/announcements/2019-foc-expansion.

The FOC network in Phoenix is made possible through the support of State Farm, Wells Fargo and MetLife.