“It has changed my thinking and really changed my life.”

When Roshon contacted the Financial Empowerment Center at South County in 2021, she and her family were overwhelmed with credit card debt and high-interest loans and were falling behind on rent. Working with her financial mentor Jessie, she has paid off most of her debt and significantly increased her credit score, started saving and planning for future expenses, avoided a predatory auto loan, shifted the way she thinks about money, and feels more confident about her ability to handle her finances. Watch Video of Roshon

Britepaths and FECSoCo’s free financial coaching and mentoring services are made possible in part through a grant from the Foundation for Financial Planning (FFP). Roshon and Jessie both shared their stories about their mentoring experience with FFP.

Roshon said she appreciates the compassion and lack of judgment that Jessie brings to their sessions. She said, “It’s hard when you are trying to navigate financial difficulties and wanting to feel like you still have dignity and control over things. My finances were giving me extreme anxiety and it was very emotional for me. Jessie was really good at navigating that with me. If something was too upsetting, she would say, ‘We don’t have to address that right now, we can talk about a different issue today.’ She really helped me talk about my thought process with money and share how I had gotten myself into this bad financial situation.”

“Before this program,” Roshon said, “I didn’t like asking others for help and didn’t want them to know about my financial situation — but it was so helpful when I finally did. Now, I still have some anxiety around my finances, but I’m not an emotional wreck or overwhelmed. I know that it’s not going to be as bad as I think, and that I have the tools and skills to help myself out of whatever the situation is.”

Roshon said she is extremely grateful for Britepaths and the opportunity to work with Jessie, sharing, “Working with Jessie has been so impactful. It has changed my thinking and really changed my life. It’s comforting to know that I have someone that I can talk through these situations with and they’re going to give me their expert opinion and recommendation, and not be pushy at all.”

---