Overview
LGBT individuals and families have long faced discrimination in housing, employment, access to asset-building supports, healthcare and education. In order to address these challenges, The Center offers a variety of programs, services and workshops throughout the year to help the LGBT community connect to the information and resources they need to strengthen their financial health.

Financial Capability
The Center offers supports for LGBT people and our allies to develop financial security by supporting participants to establish long-term goals, understand available community and private financial products and services available, and get support to navigate forward. The first step is taking our financial capability classes. These cover all of the basics, including an in-depth overview of the topic area, introduction of various local community and private resources, connections to financial coaching, and practical tools to incorporate afterwards. These classes are a great tool for a diversity of audiences, from folks just starting their first job, to entrepreneurs, people gearing up to buy their first home, to those navigating changes in their career, health, and life goals. They are generally held on the second week of every month, but please review the Center’s calendar for upcoming workshops:

• Budgeting and Saving (2 hours)
• Managing Credit and Debt (2 hours)

In addition, periodic workshops are held to engage LGBT and allied families in an innovative way around financial capability. Most recently, The Center designed and produced a series of workshops for parents and students at the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy, a K-5 alternative school in the Castro District. Through utilizing teaching techniques that resonate with parents and students, individually and collectively, and connecting folks to community resources, The Center is able to breakdown complicated financial concepts into easily understandable topics and games that are participatory for all.

For more information about our financial capability work please contact Shannon Way, Financial Services Specialist at shannonw@sfcenter.org or by phone at (415) 865-5658.

First-time Homebuyer Program
The Center offers a monthly first-time homebuyer course designed to inform community members about the home-buying process and prepare them to apply for a home mortgage. It covers, as the title suggests, the whole range of topics and components of home-buying, and is appropriate for everyone looking to purchase their first home. They are generally held on the second week of every month, but please review the Center’s calendar for upcoming workshops:

     • Nuts and Bolts of Buying a Home (4 hours)

The Center is also an approved city vendor for the Homebuyer Education Certificate. To obtain this certificate, which allows you to participate in affordable housing programs such as the down payment assistance programs and below market rate (BMR) ownership opportunities available through the Mayor's Office of Housing (MOH), you need to take at least one of the Financial Capability and education classes in addition to the Nuts and Bolts of Buying a Home, and receive 2 hours of one-on-one individual counseling.

The Center works with a variety of partners to move community members toward homeownership including the Mayor's Office of Housing (MOH), HomeownershipSF and Consumer Credit Counseling Service of San Francisco.

For more information about the First-time Homebuyer Program, please contact Shannon Way, Financial Services Specialist at shannonw@sfcenter.org or by phone at (415) 865-5658.

Lending Circles Program
The Lending Circles program is an innovative tool to help members of the community establish, improve or rebuild their credit, build their savings and access a microloan. Lending Circles were developed and piloted by Mission Asset Fund, and are being replicated with support from the Office of the Treasurer.

Lending Circles participants have enjoyed an average increase of 49 points in their credit score through this 6-12 month peer-to-peer community lending tool, currently offered with no fees to participants. Lending Circles have been used to pay down debt, rebuild credit from a bankruptcy, put a down payment on a car or establish credit to secure a home loan. The Lending Circles program is administered by the San Francisco LGBT Community Center and managed by Mission Asset Fund.

The Center hosts a Lending Circle Orientation monthly, generally on the 2nd Thursday of each month from 7-8pm. Please check the Center’s calendar for upcoming orientations, and RSVP to Shannon Way, Financial Services Specialist at shannonw@sfcenter.org or by phone at (415) 865-5658.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
The VITA program is a free resource for low-to-moderate income LGBT and allied individuals and families to assist them for free tax filing, and help them take advantage of special credits, such as Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit, and Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled. In addition to free tax return preparation assistance, The Center also provides free E-filing for most clients, including registered domestic partners and same-sex married couples. Eligible households must have a combined annual income of $50,000 or less. The VITA program is offered with the support from Earn It! Keep It! Save It! of United Way of the Bay Area.

For more information about the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program, or to sign up for the rewarding experience of volunteering for this program, please contact Shannon Way, Financial Services Specialist at shannonw@sfcenter.org or by phone at (415) 865-5658.

Economic Empowerment Week: Build Your World
Economic Empowerment Week is an annual weeklong series of events and workshops dedicated to educating our communities about financial well-being, providing job-readiness support and offering insights on entrepreneurship. The week brings together community members of all ages, in differing financial stages, to promote financial literacy, growth, and self-sufficiency. The 2012 Economic Empowerment Week will take place on October 15th through the 20th and feature and events such as:

     • Financial education workshop series
     • LGBT Job Fair
     • Lending Circles orientation
     • Entrepreneurship panels
     • First-time homebuyer workshop
     • Below market rate (BMR) housing bus tour

Economic Empowerment Week is a week for everyone to learn tools and resources to help in building the future they want. To learn more about this week, please visit the Economic Empowerment Week facebook page.

Testimonials
"The presenter was clear and explained everything really well and slowly! Also, she didn't assume that we knew anything and didn't pass judgment on any questions or lack of knowledge."
- Financial Workshop Attendee