CWCID was recently selected by Mayor Bloomberg's administration to operate New York City's new Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) in Manhattan which will serve 2,500 people in the next year.  On May 28th a host of city officials joined CWCID and community partners to celebrate the grand opening of the Manhattan FEC.  On hand for the ceremony were Jonathan Mintz, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs, Guillermo Linares, Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, and Cathie Mahon, Executive Director of the NYC Office of Financial Empowerment. 

In announcing the launch of the new FECs citywide on May 11th, Mayor Bloomberg noted: "Families that find themselves in economic distress and don't know where to turn for help are more likely to make bad financial decisions at the worst possible time. In October we launched 18 initiatives to help families get through the economic crisis, including expanding our Financial Empowerment Center model, which has done a great job of helping residents in the Bronx manage their credit, debts, and personal finances. These new centers, which are part of our Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan, can help more families change those odds."

The FEC headquarters is Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation in Washington Heights, and the three satellite sites are SEEDCO's Workforce 1 Center in Harlem, Midtown Community Court, and Lower East Side Peoples Federal Credit Union. CWCID is grateful to these community partners for working with us on this ambitious initiative.

Credit Where Credit Is Due empowers low-income people to become productive participants in the mainstream economy through a unique model that works. We deliver financial education programs in partnership with leading nonprofit and government agencies across New York City. And we offer these services in tandem with access to safe, affordable financial services at Neighborhood Trust Federal Credit Union, the community development credit union that we chartered in 1997, and a network of CDCUs around the city.