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Crisis Assistance Ministry’s financial empowerment service provides one-on-one coaching to help individuals and families rebuild financial stability. Participants work one-on-one with a specialist once a week for a period of 90 - 120 days to identify areas of financial growth that can empower them to achieve economic mobility.
You can take control of your bills and stabilize your household finances, even if you are struggling right now.
You may qualify for a FREE series of financial empowerment coaching sessions with specialists from Crisis Assistance Ministry.
You can build money management skills while staying on track with housing costs if you:
- live in Mecklenburg County
- are currently housed with a lease or mortgage
- currently have income or receive SSI, SSD, Veterans benefits, etc.
You will meet with a specialist about once a week to assess what’s happening with your finances, income, bills, and housing. Meetings can be virtual, online, by phone, or in person, based on what works best for you.
These sessions will empower you to set your own goals for managing household needs and create a plan to reach them.
Topics include:
- landlord/tenant rights and communication
- making informed choices about debt
- tracking income and prioritizing expenses
- developing a savings plan and building assets
- referrals to additional services in the community based on your needs
- help to maintain stable housing while you participate and work toward your goals
How to Enroll
Thank you for your interest in our Financial Empowerment program. As we continue to strengthen and refine our services to better meet the needs of our community, enrollment for this program is currently paused and will reopen in 2026. This temporary pause allows us to evaluate program impact, enhance curriculum, and ensure we’re providing the most effective support possible.
Financial Empowerment Stories
The Power of Financial Empowerment
On a warm Saturday morning in late October 2025, Eddie graduated from Crisis Assistance Ministry’s Financial Empowerment service. Following months of one-on-one counseling filled with honest — and sometimes challenging — conversations with his Financial Empowerment Specialist, Randee, Eddie marked his hard work with a graduation celebration. Life Before Financial Empowerment In early 2025, Eddie was married with four children. He had a thriving […]
The Cycle of Poverty, Eviction, and Mental Illness
Defining the connection between poverty and mental illness is a chicken-and-egg scenario: does mental illness create an inability to overcome a state of poverty, or does poverty increase or perpetuate the occurrence of mental illness?
The Benefits Cliff: When Progress Costs Too Much
For most people, getting a raise at work is cause for celebration.
But for thousands of hardworking families, a raise can trigger something unexpected – and dangerous – called the benefits cliff.
Crisis Assistance Ministry Names Matthew Sharp Chief Housing Stability Officer
Crisis Assistance Ministry is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew Sharp as Chief Housing Stability Officer (CHSO). Sharp brings more than 19 years of senior leadership experience across the nonprofit and higher education sectors to this critical executive role. As CHSO, Sharp will lead the agency’s Housing Stability Services division, overseeing emergency financial assistance […]
Julia: Giving Back in Gratitude
When we first told Julia’s story, almost a decade ago now, she was emerging from life-altering tragedy and grateful to have found help and hope at Crisis Assistance Ministry. With your support, her utilities were restored, she was connected to one-on-one coaching for longer term housing stability, and later found her voice as a Customer […]