El Paso Collaborative for Economic and Community Development

El Paso Collaborative for Economic and Community Development is a nonprofit organization that has provided three AFI grants since 2001, with the objective to assist families become new homeowners and obtain the skills needed to successfully manage their personal finances.

The El Paso Collaborative for Economic and Community Development is a nonprofit organization that has been provided three AFI grants since 2001, with the objective to help families become new homeowners and obtain the skills needed to successfully manage their personal finances. The collaborative has also been successful in partnering with the Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV), which will help make sure that participants are able to save toward their asset purchases and provide confidential assistance, educational programs, and hope to families in need.

Partners for this grantee include the city of El Paso and county of El Paso, housing counseling agencies approved by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, YMCA Homeownership Center, Affordable Housing Credit Union Association, La Fe Clinic, Project Vida, United Cerebral Palsy of Texas - Home of Your Own Program, Project AYUDA, Sparks Housing, Alianza Para el Desarrollo Comunitario and other nonprofit organizations that provide a strong recruitment base of traditionally underserved communities and homebuyer education. Other partners for this grant include the Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV), a nationally recognized leader in efforts to end family violence through partnerships, advocacy, and direct services for women, children, and men. TCFV will provide all the non-Federal contribution; will recruit, screen, and select project participants from two sources: (1) survivors staying at its Transitional Living Center and (2) people receiving support services from its Family Resource Center and will work with the Allstate Foundation to implement the financial education curriculum. TCFV will assist with outreach and marketing, refer potential IDA candidates, provide space to conduct financial literacy workshops and intensive case management to participants (beyond the scope of the IDA case management), and be available for consultation prior to a participant's termination from the program. Americorps*VISTA members will conduct outreach and marketing to help identify candidates and provide information about TCFV services. The collaborative's partners at the One Stop Business Resource Center will be informal partners who will cross refer potential applicants and review participants' business plans.