In
light of our national economic situation and in preparation for April as
National Financial Literacy Month, the National Office of Citizen Corps is
highlighting the efforts of organizations who are leading the way in promoting
pre-disaster financial preparedness and in increasing financial literacy across
the country. We encourage all Citizen Corps Councils and partners to learn more
about how they can get involved in local financial literacy efforts and to reach
out to citizens with the valuable information outlined below.
Operation Hope, a National Citizen Corps Affiliate and America's leading
nonprofit social investment banking and financial literacy empowerment
organization, has developed a number of initiatives to provide financial
literacy, financial preparedness, and financial emergency support. HOPE
Coalition America provides free pre-disaster financial preparedness seminars and
foreclosure prevention workshops for both individuals and organizations and
provides financial experts to assist communities after a disaster strikes. The
Mortgage Hope Crisis Hotline provides free services to assist individuals that
need answers and guidance on how to resolve mortgage loan payment issues.
Information and resources, including the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK)
and the Personal Disaster Preparedness Guide (PDPG), are available at
http://www.operationhope.org/.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Banks are sponsoring
Go Direct, a campaign to motivate people who receive federal benefit checks to
sign up for direct deposit. For those who depend on the mail for their Social
Security benefits, a difficult situation can become worse if they are evacuated
or lose their mail service – as 85,000 check recipients learned after Hurricane
Katrina, and thousands more learned in 2008 during Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and
Ike. Switching to electronic payment is one simple, significant way people can
protect themselves before disaster strikes. It also eliminates the risk of
stolen checks. Citizen Corps Councils and partners can help those who rely on
federal benefits learn about two safer, more convenient ways to get their money:
- The Go Direct campaign gives people who have checking or savings accounts a
fast, free way to sign up for direct deposit. (http://www.godirect.org)
- The Direct Express Debit Master Card gives people without bank accounts a
secure, convenient and U.S. Treasury-recommended way to receive their Social
Security payments. (https://www.usdirectexpress.com/)
More information, including the Go Direct Disaster Preparedness Toolkit, talking
points, and web banners, is available at
http://www.godirect.org//partners/Disaster_Preparedness.cfm.
The U.S. Financial Literacy and Education Commission provides financial
education resources for all Americans through its partnerships and website.
MyMoney.gov is the U.S. government's website dedicated to teaching all Americans
the basics about financial education. Whether you are planning to buy a home,
balancing your checkbook, investing in your 401k, or navigating these economic
hard times, the resources on MyMoney.gov can help you do it better. Throughout
the site, you will find important information from 20 federal agencies
government-wide. Toolkits, brochures, frequently asked questions, and other
resources to help Citizen Corps Councils and partners improve financial literacy
in their community are available at
http://www.MyMoney.gov.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) administers a national
financial education campaign called Money Smart. This comprehensive financial
education curriculum is designed to help individuals develop financial skills
and positive banking relationships through a free training program available
both online and on CD. More information on the Money Smart program is available
at
http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/moneysmart/.
This news story and other Community Preparedness news, including Citizen Corps
Bulletins, can be found on our website at
http://www.citizencorps.gov/.
Sincerely,
The National Office of Citizen Corps
FEMA Community Preparedness Division
