Guest Column: Feeling at Home with Self-Sufficiency

The following was written for SRQ Daily’s “Saturday Perspectives” edition:

“I signed up for health insurance for the first time!”

“I put down a deposit on a place to live!”

“I lost 15 pounds!”

Those were just a few accomplishments that participants shared a mere four weeks into a family financial sustainability initiative that kicked off in May. And while I can’t vouch for “losing weight,” the other achievements signify hope for some of our community’s most vulnerable families.

Gulf Coast Community Foundation partnered with United Way Suncoast to develop and quietly launch this ambitious effort. It takes a very different approach from traditional financial-literacy programs. Financial sustainability, we learned, doesn’t begin with how people think about the choices involving money; it begins with how they think about money itself. Rather than just teaching things like how to balance a check book or create a budget, the program helps families understand basic concepts that many of us take for granted. Things like predatory loans with high interest rates are a bad alternative to pay for car repairs, or that saving for college begins when children are young rather than when they are in high school. 

It also extends and complements our multiyear Homeless Children and Families initiative. Recognizing challenges faced by those who’ve been homeless or close to it, the initiative aims to help families attain the knowledge, support, and assets they need to progress toward financial self-sufficiency.

To read more, please continue to the August 20 edition of SRQ Daily.