AIM Chosen S.C.’s First Financial Opportunity Center
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
After decades of service to the community, AIM is about to add a new element to the services they provide to our friends, family and neighbors who might need a little extra help with financial education and planning.
On Thursday, at a 10 a.m. event, AIM will announce the ministry’s being chosen as the first Financial Opportunity Center in the state of South Carolina.
“We’ve been in discussions with the Local Initiatives Support Center, which is a national nonprofit, for nearly two years about becoming a Financial Opportunity Center,” said AIM Founder and CEO Kristi King-Brock. “We wanted to ensure it was the right fit for our mission and wouldn’t distract from our existing work.”
“This new center will connect us with a national organization that brings proven best practices,” she said. “They’ll provide free training and help us integrate financial wellness into all of our programs. Whether someone is working with our Pivotal Support, Employment Pathways, or Women and Children’s Succeeding programs, we’ll be able to offer tailored financial coaching.”
AIM case managers will be retrained and renamed “success coaches,” and each will be equipped to deliver this financial training, embedding financial wellness into every aspect of what AIM does.
She said AIMS’s “amazing” Financial Stability Center partnership and collaboration with the United Way of Anderson County collaboration will continue.
The new program will likely help in the partnership with the United Way’s ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) program.
“There are so many people living just above the poverty line who don’t qualify for traditional assistance,” said King-Brock. “When someone comes to us, our success coaches will assess their needs and invite them into the Financial Opportunity Center program if it’s a good fit. From there, they’ll receive ongoing coaching and resources to build financial stability.”
The national partnership, the training for staff, the integration into existing programs, are a few concrete examples of how clients will benefit.
