The Bold Goals Coalition’s Financial Services Network (FSN) partners with eight nonprofit financial service providers to help people in Central Alabama achieve financial stability. This month, Kimekia Holifield, Assistant Vice President of Financial Stability Services at United Way of Central Alabama (UWCA) shared her thoughts on the potentially life-changing difference that the FSN can make to families in their time of need.
Ms. Holifield began her nonprofit career as an Americorps® VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) with UWCA in 2011. “During that year of service, I not only learned about the management of nonprofit programs, but also gained the ability to relate to the needs of low-income families,” she said. After completing her service as a VISTA, Ms. Holifield chose to continue her work at UWCA and now oversees many of the same programs she once volunteered for, including the Family Stability Services program.
Through this initiative, low-to-moderate-income families are able to access a range of services designed to help them achieve financial success. “Family Stability Services works with qualified families to assess their specific needs, set goals and direct them to resources that will foster a stable home environment and put them on a path to solving their financial problems,” said Ms. Holifield. “Since Family Stability Services focuses on preventing homelessness among families with school-aged children, our main challenge is [identifying] the resources necessary to serve those families.”
To that end, she sees the FSN as a transformative key to not only maintaining existing partnerships, but also developing new relationships with financial-service providers in our community. “Oftentimes, agencies work in silos; but as a coalition, we are working to break down those barriers, discuss in detail services that are offered within our agencies and develop a robust referral system within the network,” she said. “I see the partnership with the Bold Goals Financial Services Network as an opportunity to work within a coalition and make a more significant impact in our community through collaboration.”