Revitalizing Financial Literacy: IHA’s Blended Credit Café Workshop

Since 2016, Interfaith Housing Alliance (IHA) has been empowering community members through the Credit Café, a program designed to enhance financial literacy and credit management. The Credit Café offers a comprehensive approach, blending education with strategic credit goal setting to help participants improve, maintain, or enhance their credit scores while reducing overall debt burdens.

Initially, the program operated entirely in person. However, the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020 forced IHA to pivot to a virtual format. After a brief hiatus, the Credit Café relaunched online in July 2020. The virtual workshop was structured in three phases to provide a more in-depth and supportive virtual experience:

1. Educational Workshop: This initial phase consists of a one-hour group session offered multiple times each month throughout the year. Participants explore a wide range of topics covering the fundamentals of credit mechanisms and best practices for credit upkeep.

2. Personalized Credit Report Review: Following the group workshop, participants engage in a tailored 30-minute one-on-one session with an advisor, conducted virtually via Zoom within one week of the group session. During this session, advisors help participants understand their credit reports and set credit-related goals aligned with their future financial aspirations. Each participant receives a complimentary copy of their tri-merged credit report, freshly pulled on the day of the event to ensure the most current information for this individualized meeting.

3. Continued Support: The Credit Café Workshop provides ongoing assistance beyond the initial workshop. The advisor remains accessible for follow-ups via email, phone, or text ensuring participants have the resources to sustain their credit journey and monitor progress. Participants are invited back for a follow-up advising session 6 months after their initial credit review to receive an updated credit report and review progress.

Over the past year, Lacy Allen, the Credit Café Program Manager, has introduced a blended option, combining in-person group workshops with virtual personalized credit report reviews. This hybrid approach caters to those who thrive better in an in-person setting while maintaining the convenience and efficiency of virtual consultations.

The blended option was first introduced with the Housing Authority of the City of Frederick at their Lucas Village Community Room. Partnering with local organizations has proven beneficial in multiple ways: reducing administrative work for IHA, increasing participant numbers, and providing trusted local contacts to assist with registration and reminders.

Following the success of the initial blended workshops, other organizations such as CORE, the Arc of Frederick County, Brunswick Public Library, C. Burr Artz Public Library, and IHA apartment/townhome communities have adopted this model. This approach allows more organizations to bring the educational portion of the Credit Café directly to their clients or staff.



If you or your organization have a group of individuals who could benefit from learning about credit in an in-person setting, reach out to Lacy Allen at lames@interfaithhousing.org or text 301-818-5606 to explore how the blended Credit Café Workshop can work for you!

Join us in promoting financial empowerment and stability through the Credit Café Workshop, now more accessible than ever!