Rochester Financial Empowerment Center Ready To Help Residents Navigate Economic Challenges Prompted By Pandemic

Press release from the City of Rochester:

(Tuesday, April 7, 2020) – Mayor Lovely A. Warren today announced that the Rochester Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) is accepting new clients and will serve as a resource to help community members navigate financial challenges due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The FEC has also created a Question and Answer document on the Federal Economic Impact Payments, or “Stimulus Checks,” to help residents better understand when and how the payments will be delivered to residents.“The Rochester Financial Empowerment Center is a tremendous resource to help our citizens adapt to this new economic landscape,” said Mayor Warren. “I urge anyone facing difficult financial circumstances to consider using this service. I want to thank all our partners who made it possible to bring the Financial Empowerment Center to Rochester in time for this unprecedented challenge.”

The Rochester FEC is a new initiative led by the Mayor’s Office of Community Wealth Building in partnership with Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Rochester and the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund. Based on a model started in New York City, the Rochester FEC provides free, professional, one-on-one financial counseling as a public service to all adult residents without qualification.

A team of highly trained, professional counselors is ready to coach and assist community members in doing such things as:

• Navigate available loan, mortgage and rent deferment options under the Governor’s recent executive orders;
• Avoid scams and misinformation;
• Create emergency budgets;
• Connect with emergency relief resources and services;
• Develop other financial goals related to credit-building, debt reduction, increased savings, banking access and more.

For the safety of clients and counselors, all sessions will take place remotely for the remainder of the COVID-19 outbreak. The counseling team coaches clients every step of the way, and clients can meet with their counselor as many times as they want.

The Rochester FEC is also sponsored by the United Way of Greater Rochester; JPMorgan Chase; M&T Bank; ESL Federal Credit Union; and Five Star Bank.

To schedule an appointment, call (585) 252-7110 or email RochesterFEC@CCCSofRochester.org. To learn more about the Rochester Financial Empowerment Center, visit cityofrochester.gov/fec/ or rochesterfec.org/.

This press release was produced by the City of Rochester. The views expressed here are the author’s own.