91´«Ã½

Community-level access to customized financial education and counseling ready for Military and their Families

Washington, DC – The 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) and the National Foundation for Credit Counseling® (NFCC®) are pleased to announce the first communities in their national rollout of locally-based resources to help improve the financial lives of service members, veterans and their families. The two leading nonprofit organizations are working together to deliver financial education solutions to members of the military and their families in libraries across the country.

Members of the U.S. armed forces, Coast Guard, veterans, and their families face financial challenges often not adequately addressed by resources designed for the general public. Recent preliminary data from the Sharpen Your Financial Focus™ (Sharpen) program reveals military families face unique challenges. For example, military Sharpen participants had higher unsecured debt balances ($400-$500 more) than the average Sharpen participant. Fewer tangible assets and higher debt-related expenses were also more common among these families. Relocation, frequent deployment, and changes in local economic conditions are likely among the factors influencing these results.

91´«Ã½ and NFCC worked to identify libraries and NFCC member agencies with significant populations of veterans and/or military families and the capacity and desire to initiate a new collaboration to deliver financial education services and resources tailored to this community. These local partners agreed to be at the forefront of this effort and share learnings that can inform how to improve and expand such services more broadly. They are:

• Arizona: Pima County Public Library, and Yuma County Public Library with Money Management International
• Arkansas: Bentonville Public Library and Fayetteville Public Library with Credit Counseling of Arkansas
• California: Contra Costa County Library with CCCS of San Francisco, El Dorado High School Library (Placentia) with CCCS of Orange County, and Los Angeles Public Library with Springboard Nonprofit Consumer Credit Management.
• Colorado: Pikes Peak Library District with Transformance, and Poudre River Public Library District with GreenPath
• Connecticut: Groton Public Library with GreenPath
• District of Columbia Public Library with an agency to be determined
• Florida: Orange County Library System with Consumer Debt Counselors
• Illinois: Waukegan Public Library with CCCS of Northern Illinois
• Kansas: Topeka-Shawnee Public Library with CCCS of Topeka/Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc.
• Louisiana: Northshore Technical Community College with Consumer Debt Counselors
• Maryland: Baltimore County Public Library with Guidewell Financial Solutions
• Minnesota: Duluth Public Library and Hennepin County Library with CCCS of Duluth/LSS of Minnesota
• Montana: Lewis and Clark Library (Helena) and Great Falls Public Library with Rural Dynamics, Inc.
• North Carolina: Cumberland County Public Library with CCCS of Fayetteville/Action Pathways
• Oklahoma: Metropolitan Library System with CCCS of Central Oklahoma
• Ohio: Cuyahoga County Public Library with Apprisen
• Texas: Corpus Christi Public Libraries and San Antonio Public Library with GreenPath, and Dallas Public Library with Transformance
• Virginia: Virginia Public Library with ClearPoint
• Washington: Pierce County Library System with Apprisen

NFCC member agencies are working with libraries to offer financial education workshops, access to personalized counseling, and other resources that help families reach their financial goals and contribute to the economic stability of their neighborhoods. The workshops are being delivered by NFCC Certified Credit Counselors in libraries and will cover subjects like housing, budgeting, banking, credit, PCS & deployment, and career transition into civilian life. Additional support is available in the form of direct counseling that can be accessed through the nonprofit NFCC members participating in this project.

Support for these programs is offered by Wells Fargo as a part of Hands on Banking^® for the Military program.

Additional information on the program is available .

About 91´«Ã½

The 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 58,000 members in academic, public, school, government, and special libraries. The mission of the 91´«Ã½ is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all. To learn more about the 91´«Ã½, visit

About NFCC

Founded in 1951, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling® (NFCC®) is the nation’s first and largest nonprofit dedicated to improving people’s financial well-being. With 600 member offices serving 50 states and Puerto Rico, our NFCC® Certified Consumer Credit Counselors are financial advocates, empowering millions of consumers to take charge of their finances through one-on-one financial reviews that address credit card debt, student loans, housing decisions and overall money management. Make one of the best financial decisions of your life. For expert guidance and advice, call (800) 388-2227 or visit nfcc.org today.

Related Links

is a credit counseling program by NFCC aimed at moving Americans from financial distress to financial freedom.