The Financial Stability Partnership works to build a comprehensive infrastructure of services and policies that lead to financial stability for families and individuals, by coordinating efforts and strengthening strategic partnerships. The members of the Partnership include social service agencies, governmental agencies, and business leaders. The Partnership is sponsored by United Way of Yellowstone County.
Its efforts are organized around a strategic framework which promotes financial stability through a multi-step, sequential approach: the first step is helping low to moderate income workers increase income, then build savings, and finally gain and sustain assets. Financial education and access to main stream financial products underlie the framework. The framework was developed by United Way Worldwide. More information on the framework may be found here.
The Yellowstone County Partnership initially came together around the awareness that millions of dollars in tax benefits were being left on the table by lower income households who failed to file for the credits.
The Partnership’s first objective was therefore to increase awareness of tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit among both residents and employers. These efforts grew to include a local financial resource inventory and work to increase access to free tax preparation through VITA (Volunteer Tax Preparation Assistance).
For more information on the Financial Stability Partnership of Yellowstone County, please contact Kathie Shandera at 406-252-3839 x31, or Katherine.shandera@unitedwayyellowstone.org. You may also find information here.