The HomeOwnership Center’s Homeownership Advisor, Jami Carpenter, has been out and about in our service area. Starting in June, Jami was a featured speaker at the Region 7 Early Childhood Collaborative to guide participants through the skill of building a budget, explore how credit scores are weighted, and share tips and tricks on how to manage and maintain credit. This event was open to early childhood professionals, educators, home visitors, and community partners in Region 7, including Harrison, Upshur, Barbour, Randolph, Taylor, Tucker, Preston, Doddridge, Braxton, Monongalia, Marion, and Lewis Counties. This event was an effort to strengthen families and build brighter futures for our children.
Next came a four-week virtual money management series with Helping Appalachian Parents & Infants (HAPI). Covering budgeting, couponing, credit, loans, and debt, this series drew over 25 attendees per session, a turnout that speaks to how interested families in our region are in this kind of practical, accessible financial guidance.
The success did not stop at attendance. The series caught the attention of Healthy Grandfamilies in Harrison County, who wanted to bring the same tools to their community members. Though Harrison County is outside our service area, we partnered with the Fairmont Morgantown Housing Authority to deliver a condensed version, reaching three additional families and sparking conversations that are still going. The connection was strong enough that Jami was invited to join HAPI’s Parent Advisory Committee to help shape future events.
To round out Jami’s travels across our region, she stopped by the Braxton County Mountain CAP office. During this visit, she was able to talk with any customers about financial services they may need. In addition to this visit, Jami went back to hold the inaugural life skills class. This class covered budgeting, credit, and loans.