Economic Mobility

Closing wealth-building gaps through access to financial supports and services

Prosperous families build prosperous communities

For myriad reasons, many members of our community work a full-time job and, in some cases more than one job, yet still struggle to meet minimum monthly financial requirements to maintain a home for themselves and their families.  Families whose earnings fall below 100% – 200% of the federal poverty level may be able to access benefits to help them make ends meet.  However, many families earn above this amount, but not enough to become financially stable.  Almost half of all Mississippians fall into this category.  Many of these families are either unbanked or underbanked, often finding themselves in a revolving cycle of indebtedness to predatory lenders thereby inhibiting them from gaining financial independence.  In response to these realities, United Ways across Mississippi are partnering to first-of-its-kind study across the state to better understand the conditions these working families face and inform interventions and supports that will help them become economically mobile and able to improve their financial prospects.  In addition, United Way of the Capital Area is partnering with local municipalities, financial institutions (i.e. banks and credit unions), community-based organizations, and others to coordinate a network of financial products, services, and resources to help families in our community build foundations to improve their economic conditions.

For more information, contact Kenitra Wallace at kenitra@myunitedway.com.