Gwinnett Village Community Alliance & United Way Open Gwinnett Village Financial Services Center
Offering Solutions Today for A Secure Tomorrow
Norcross, GA (Oct. 16, 2009) -- Today, The Gwinnett Village Community Alliance and United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta announce the grand opening of the Gwinnett Village Financial Services Center. The community is invited to the grand opening celebration and open house scheduled for October 22, 2009 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Center (5855 Jimmy Carter Boulevard, Norcross, GA 30071).
"The Gwinnett Village Financial Services Center is a unique one-stop shop offering individuals opportunities and solutions that can lead to a financially secure future," explains Letycia Pastrana, executive director of the Gwinnett Village Community Alliance. "The Center focuses on financial stability, career connections and entrepreneurship by increasing employment and homeownership, as well as decreasing personal debt."
The Center's goal is to increase financial well-being among low to moderate-income families living and working within the Gwinnett Village. Open to the public, the Center provides core services at reduced or no cost. Services include:
• Workshops and classes on various topics such as career options, job readiness, financial fitness, starting a small business, homebuyer educations and foreclosure prevention
• Free seasonal tax preparation
• Work-Ready testing
• Internet Café for job searches, online research and online education opportunities
• Referrals
• Multi-lingual services
Overall management and coordination of the Center will be provided by the Gwinnett Village Community Alliance while specific programs will be directed by community partners. Organizations partnering in this initiative include: The Atlanta Prosperity Campaign, Atlanta Community Food Bank, Consumer Credit Counseling Service, Gwinnett Technical College, The IMPACT! Group, UGA Small Business Development Center, and Women's Economic Development Agency (WEDA).
Similar centers have recently opened in Miami Florida and Lynn Massachusetts with the support of United Way and Bank of America. United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta has committed over three years to support the Gwinnett Village Financial Services Center.
"We believe that a key component of a thriving community is self-sufficient families. To achieve economic and financial security, working families need predictable resources to meet their basic needs, provide for emergencies, improve quality of life, and make ongoing investments in lifelong learning and to build assets such as a home or retirement savings. This Center will allow families to have access to the economic and employment opportunities they need to provide for their future," said Demetrius Jordan, area director, United Way in Gwinnett County, adding, "This type of collaborative partnership leverages important resources across the community to provide maximum benefit for our residents."
United Way has committed $1.5 billion toward their Financial Stability Partnership, a nationwide initiative to help individuals and families achieve financial stability and independence. The United Way Financial Stability Partnership uses a three-step framework to address the common challenges to financial stability: increase income; build savings; gain and sustain assets supported by financial education
ABOUT THE GWINNETT VILLAGE COMMUNITY ALLIANCE
The Gwinnett Village Community Alliance (GVCA) is a non-profit organization that fosters collaborations and attracts resources to improve the quality of life for those who live, work, play and /or stay in the Gwinnett Village. GVCA works in tandem with the Gwinnett Village CID, local governments, schools, nonprofits, businesses, neighborhoods, residents, and youth.
Media Contacts:
Joel Wascher
A. Brown-Olmstead Associates
joel@newaboa.com
404-659-0919 (office)
970-290-3759 (cell)
Malika White
United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta
mwhite@unitedwayatlanta.org
404-527-7206
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