CHESAPEAKE, Va. — For several years, Desiree Johnson said she felt trapped and searched for a way to reach her goal of financial stability.
“I don’t come from a financial background," Johnson said. "My parents, there’s no money. There’s none of that.”
She said after learning about services through ForKids, she found support and a new way of thinking. She completed a three-year program that she said changed her life.
“I didn’t even know I could do some of the stuff," she said. "Like even now I still save money. Never would have thought that I would have the balance and the account that I have now.”
New funding will help ForKids with its two newest Financial Opportunity Centers in Chesapeake and Suffolk. A grant of $300,000 was made possible by Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Hampton Roads and Sentara Health. The nonprofit also received a $250,000 contribution from Virginia Natural Gas.
"That is a type of LISC program that actually started in Chicago and has been replicated across the country," said Jay Grant, the executive director of LISC Hampton Roads. "This will be our third and then fourth Financial Opportunity Centers in Hampton Roads that LISC Hampton Roads operates."
Tuesday morning, organization leaders hosted a ribbon cutting and check presentation for the programs aiming to provide long-term stability and wealth for families.
“It really helps to bring them to the types of certifications, the types of training, the types of financial literacy really needed in the 21st-century economy," Grant said.
These programs help families increase housing stability and income and build financial knowledge. It’s all information Johnson said she’s already sharing with others.
“I give that information to my grandchildren," she said. "And now, I want to set up an account for them.”
You can find more information about the program on ForKids' website.