New partnership expands access to financial wellness services across Clark County

Lighthouse Community Credit Union, a Vancouver-based financial institution, and Lighthouse Resource Center announced today that they have forged a unique partnership with Save First Financial Wellness to empower Southwest Washingtonians in pursuit for greater financial freedom, according to Steve Bernhoft, Lighthouse President and CFO.

Clark County is home to a sizeable low-income population, with 27% of residents falling below average medium income (AMI), a common indicator of poverty. As the economic impact surrounding the novel coronavirus pandemic continue to unfold, these numbers are expected to skyrocket as people lose jobs and take on more debt to survive.

“At Lighthouse, we seek to offer both hope and opportunity to people with low to moderate incomes. It just made sense to align with the team at Save First who can help further our mission of financial empowerment and serving our local community,” said David Bristol, Lighthouse Board Chair. “This partnership has been in the works for several months, but now with COVID-19, we believe it is even more urgent that we make these financial wellness services available for our neighbors in need.”

Save First has already introduce online financial tools, and once social distancing measures are lifted, they will add a team at the Lighthouse Resource Center, the nonprofit financial education arm of Lighthouse Community Credit Union. They will provide onsite one-on-one financial coaching, classes, and workshops, and are exploring pop-up opportunities at other Lighthouse branch locations.

“We could not be more excited for the opportunity to partner with Lighthouse and deepen our impact in SW Washington,” said Molly O’Donnell, Save First director. “With more than a decade of experience in financial literacy and a robust toolkit to help people get on sound financial ground, Save First is ready to help struggling Americans save money and keep their debt under control. This is particularly necessary in times of crisis as we are today. Together, we’re hoping to help people weather this current storm and change the course of their financial futures.”

Digital edition promo
Joanna Yorke-Payne
Joanna Yorke is the managing editor of the Vancouver Business Journal. She has worked in the journalism field since 2010 after graduating from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University in Pullman. Yorke worked at The Reflector Newspaper in Battle Ground for six years and then worked at and helped start ClarkCountyToday.com.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.