For families who have long struggled to make ends meet, a decent job is a first step toward financial stability. But, it’s only the first step. Washington Post columnist Michelle Singletary takes a close look at how LISC’s network of Financial Opportunity Centers connect job training and placement with long-term, one-on-one financial coaching—what she calls “the missing link”—that helps people boost their credit ratings, reduce debt and build savings. Neighborhood Allies, with technical support from LISC and financial support from local partners, launched three FOCs in and around Pittsburgh to help low and moderate income families build assets and attain financial stability and upward mobility.
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The Local Story.
Families across the Pittsburgh region now have a new resource to 
achieve financial stability with the formation of three FOCs.
The FOCs provide an integrated or “bundled” set of three core services:
- employment services
- financial education and coaching
- access to income support
Neighborhood Allies serves as the funding and technical assistance provider for these centers locally, and brings training in best practices, guidance in the launch process, access to local and national funding relationships, promotions and communications, and shared data management software to track outcomes. Funding received from the Hillman Foundation, the Buhl Foundation, the Roy A. Hunt Foundation, and LISC will be combined to support the opening of three centers:
- Mon Valley Initiative was awarded $100,000 to add a financial coach and support an existing employment services program based in Homestead that has an effective job-readiness curriculum, connections with employers, and expertise for clients with criminal convictions.
- Oakland Planning and Development Corporation was awarded $100,000 to support the JobLinks program that is based in Oakland and serves the region with job-readiness assistance and skills training in the health care industry.
- Goodwill Southwestern Pennsylvania was awarded $75,000 to develop employment services and financial coaching at the Northside Common Ministries site, which serves 10,000 people from the Northside each year at their food pantry.
