WoodGreen Community Services Financial Empowerment Strategies and Success Stories
Discover how WoodGreen Community Services tackles financial barriers and empowers individuals through innovative approaches like volunteer empowerment, tax clinics, and counseling. Overcoming challenges such as low financial literacy and access barriers, this Toronto-based agency aims to serve low-income individuals and families by increasing financial skills and capacity. Join their journey towards empowering 15,000 clients yearly by 2022.
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Presentation Transcript
WoodGreen Community Services Financial Empowerment- Successful Approaches Stephen Vanderherberg, Director Strategic Initiatives May 25th, 2018
WoodGreen Community Services Organizational Overview WoodGreen Community Services (Toronto, ON) Multi-Service Agency (i.e housing, employment, newcomer, seniors, mental health, etc.) 75 programs, 700+ staff Financial Empowerment Income Tax Clinics (7500 returns in 2017) Counselling (1000+ clients) Financial Literacy
WoodGreen Community Services Financial Empowerment Target Low income individuals & families with barriers Address financial barriers; Increase financial skills and capacity Grow to 15,000 clients/yr by 2022 Journey 33% growth year over year since 2011 Tax Clinics to Counselling Experimentation & Innovation Approach Co-Design Partnerships Client-centric
WoodGreen Community Services Challenges to Financial Security Complexity of Personal Situations Documentation, debt, back-taxes, relationship breakdowns Ease of Access Navigating systems, appropriate financial products, personal confidence Low Financial Literacy Low literacy levels, cognitive barriers, negative association Need for affirming positive social interactions
WoodGreen Community Services Successful Approach 1: Volunteer Empowerment 200+ volunteers, Pyramid model Co-location: Toronto Public Library, Social Housing, etc. $17 M in Benefits and Returns Positive Social Interactions
WoodGreen Community Services Successful Approach 2: Tax + Counselling Triaging complex situations One-on-One Support Tax advocacy, debt, documentation, benefits access, budgeting Social Work Approach, Action-oriented Supportive environment to navigate systems
WoodGreen Community Services WoodGreen Community Services Stephen Vanderherberg, Director, Strategic Initiatives www.woodgreen.org Svanderherberg@woodgreen.org
