Indepth analysis of persistant problems in the field of community development. Woodstock's research reports contribute to the body of knowledge used by policymakers and community development practitioners.
This report analyzes the deceptive effect of credit card terms and
conditions and how these terms and conditions massively raise the cost
of using credit cards and contribute to rising levels of consumer debt.
Analyzes job patterns in the Chicago Empowerment Zone (EZ), examining
demographics of those who work in the EZ, the number of EZ jobs held by
EZ residents, and the work locations of EZ residents. The report
provides examples of efforts in Chicago and around the country aimed at
linking neighborhood residents to nearby jobs and calls for increased
attention to the barriers between jobs and residents in low-income
urban areas.
The purpose of this guide is to help community organizations enable their members to join a mainstream credit union and begin building modest assets. Many credit unions offer financial products and services tailored to the needs of low-income people, but mainstream credit unions have not historically reached this population. Partnering with community organizations expands a credit union's membership while giving community organizations the tools to help their members build assets.
Marva Williams, Principal Investigator
Sarah Duda and Tom Feltner, Co-Authors
This report details the partnership process and lessons learned from a two-year technical assistance program designed to help community organizations partner with mainstream credit unions with the goal of enrolling new lower-income members or expanding an existing partnership. The case studies describing these partnerships identify four strategic areas through which partnerships can be strengthened and the common barriers to developing a successful partnership can be overcome.
This report documents the asset development programs of five community development credit unions and illustrates the several diverse strategies to empower lower-income people to develop modest assets. Case studies include Central Appalachian Peoples FCU, Quitman County FCU, Northeast Community FCU, Progressive Neighborhood FCU, and Zion United Credit Union.
