Innovative Changes Financial Household Stability October Workshops

This October, Innovative Changes will be hosting a four-part group workshop series on: Making Ends Meet, Budgeting and Saving, Hands-On Banking, Building, Repairing and Protecting Credit. Classes can be taken individually or as part of the series. The classes will be held on Saturdays from 10am-12pm at the Hewitt Place Townhomes Community Room in Troutdale and Wednesdays from 11am-1pm at the New Columbia Opportunity Center in North Portland. See more information below or on our website at http://www.innovativechanges.org/fall-2010-workshops.

Registration is free, but required! Register for workshops online at http://www.innovativechanges.org/workshop-registration or by calling Talia at (503) 943-5620.

Part 1: Making Ends Meet

Feel like you’re always struggling to make ends meet? Take an inventory of your values and priorities. Follow a family as they analyze their spending and decide how to juggle income to cover expenses. You will benefit from valuable tools and strategies that you can put to work for you to make an immediate, positive impact on your financial situation.

• Saturday, 10am-12pm, 10/2, Hewitt Place Townhomes Community Room, 846 SW 29th Way, Troutdale

• Wednesday, 10/6, 11am-1pm, New Columbia Opportunity Center, 4610 N. Trenton St., Portland

Part 2: Budgeting and Saving

You may have heard that sticking to a budget and saving money will help you weather the shock of an unexpected expense, but it can seem impossible when time and money are limited. This workshop is designed to provide you with the tools you need so that budgeting and saving is within your reach.

• Saturday, 10am-12pm, 10/9, Hewitt Place Townhomes Community Room, 846 SW 29th Way, Troutdale

• Wednesday, 10/13, 11am-1pm, New Columbia Opportunity Center, 4610 N. Trenton St., Portland

Part 3: Hands-On Banking

Do your current methods of managing income and paying bills not work for you? Do you frequently owe fees that you find confusing and expensive? Join us for this exploration of banks, credit unions and the services they offer. You will discuss various ways that you might utilize financial institutions to manage your income and learn about the many ways in which having an account at a bank or credit union can help–or hurt–your personal finances. You’ll come away with a clear picture of what services might be right for you.

• Saturday, 10am-12pm, 10/16, Hewitt Place Townhomes Community Room, 846 SW 29th Way, Troutdale

• Wednesday, 10/20, 11am-1pm, New Columbia Opportunity Center, 4610 N. Trenton St., Portland

Part 4: Building, Repairing and Protecting Credit

Good credit is a crucial ingredient to most recipes for financial success, but what does it mean to have good credit and what can be done if you have poor credit or no credit history at all? The answers to these questions and more will be explored in this workshop. We will explore the basic components of a credit report and talk about what you can do to address inaccurate or damaging items. Other topics covered include steps you can take when turned down for credit and information about your rights related to credit.

• Saturday, 10am-12pm, 10/23, Hewitt Place Townhomes Community Room, 846 SW 29th Way, Troutdale

• Wednesday, 10/27, 11am-1pm, New Columbia Opportunity Center, 4610 N. Trenton St., Portland