ST. PAUL, Minn.– Domestic-abuse victims will have access to free financial-education programming through a grant given by the Affinity Plus Foundation. The programming will be hosted by the Domestic Abuse Project (DAP), a Twin Cities-based organization that works with victims and families of domestic abuse to provide counseling, advocacy and prevention outreach. Last year, DAP provided therapy services to 600 people and additional services to over 2,000, all to help participants feel safe from domestic violence, according to Sean Fields, DAP program supervisor and therapist.
The Affinity Plus Foundation’s support will go toward funding supplies, materials and resources for a program focused on adult female survivors that prepares them for a successful and safe lifestyle, Fields said.
The program will include step-by-step education on accessing their money; managing accounts; credit; borrowing; and other personal-finance topics that allow survivors to feel confident in their ability to move forward.
“It’s common for victims to be isolated from the knowledge and skills required to effectively manage their finances,” he said. “When a survivor leaves an abusive relationship they may feel paralyzed by financial anxiety, a lack of confidence or a lack of financial capability.”
The foundation grant “supports victims and survivors in their healing journey by providing financial education, in an environment that simultaneously validates and normalizes their experience of domestic violence,” Fields added.
Earlier in the year, at a May 2016 employee fundraising and bowling event, employees of Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union were able to vote to give a grant to an organization of their choosing. Employees selected DAP.
“Our employees understand the importance and power of effective financial education, and they have a strong sense of caring for the communities in which they work,” said Amy Hanson, Affinity Plus Foundation executive director. “Domestic Abuse Project’s mission really resonated with them.”