A social learning environment that strengthens the foundations of financial health and advances quality of life in the entire DD community.
Most people in America lack access to financial health awareness, education, and innovation. This contributes to our culture’s increasing debt, financial insecurity, and higher levels of stress.
Stress, debt and financial insecurity take their tolls on people, not only in healthcare costs, but also in lost productivity, turnover in the workplace, inability to learn or stay focused, and in some cases, even trauma and vicarious trauma.
These factors are just as relevant in the DD community as they are in the rest of society. In addition, people with DD face challenges of social stigma and barriers to full participation in our economy. Therefore Financial Health Institute (FHI) has developed Education for Independence to systemically provide educational resources and to assist people with DD and the organizations who support them to develop their financial health and improve their economic well-being skills.
Who We Serve
Through Education for Independence, FHI provides services for individuals and their families, case managers, host home providers, and advocacy groups.
FHI has a broad scope of curricula and methods that we have refined through many years of collaboration with professionals and family members.
Program Benefits
- Participants gain awareness of their financial health choices, resulting in greater self-confidence and life skills.
- The curriculum and facilitated classes encourage participants to practice new financial health skills.
- The improvements lead to lasting benefits intellectually, physically, socially and economically.
What our participants say
It is good that I learn about saving and spending wisely because I do not want to run out of money on my card. When I have money on my card it makes me happy. Running out of money is disastrous. I/DD participant Michael M.
I would recommend this class to anyone who has intellectual or developmental disabilities, as the individuals who participate truly enjoy the educational topics presented and they look forward to the next class. Calena Camacho, Laradon
Who We Train: Agencies, Case Managers, Host Home Managers and Advocacy Groups
In a decade of experience, FHI has noted that most providers have very little training or education in personal finances or economics. In many cases, the people who are helping people are also struggling financially and economically, and therefore feel inadequate when attempting to assist others in these domains.
By providing training opportunities to everyone who supports the I/DD community, we are creating a common language around the issue of managing finances, reducing stress, and improving health.
FHI researches, develops, and offers trainings, curricula and applicable tools for agencies, case managers, host home providers, and advocacy groups that will benefit them both personally and professionally.
For more information, contact Michael Kilgore at 303-204-3144 or mkilgore@fhinst.com.
