Mount Vernon Launches No-Cost Financial Navigator Program

Press release from City of Mt. Vernon Department of Planning & Community Development:

Dec. 11, 2020

In partnership with the national nonprofit Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund), Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard and Urban League of Westchester have launched a Financial Navigator program to help Mount Vernon residents navigate critical financial issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Navigators will provide over-the-phone guidance at no cost to help residents access available programs and services designed to help them manage income disruptions and other financial stressors.

Financial Navigators will be available remotely starting 12/9/2020 to provide guidance over the phone to help residents access available programs and services to manage income disruptions and other financial concerns. Financial Navigators help residents one-on-one to triage personal financial issues, identify immediate action steps to manage expenses and maximize income, and make referrals to other services such as eviction prevention, personal loans, small business loans, and food banks. The City of Mount Vernon will offer these Financial Navigator services in partnership with Urban League.

“The City of Mount Vernon, NY is proud to partner with the Urban League of Westchester and the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund on the Foundations Financial Navigator Initiative. The FNI funds will allow us to provide two financial navigators to our community to respond to economic concerns furthering our ability to respond to the community’s urgent needs and recover from the pandemic more rapidly.”Said Mayor Patterson-Howard.

Financial Navigators will be available remotely starting December 9, 2020, and will help residents with one-on-one sessions to help identify immediate action steps needed to manage expenses, maximize income and realize other services available to them.

“Urban League of Westchester welcomes the opportunity to work with the City of Mount Vernon and the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund to bring the Financial Navigator program to Mount Vernon residents who are negatively impacted by COVID-19,” said Sorraya Sampson, President and CEO of Urban League of Westchester. Urban League of Westchester is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities.

Residents can access these remote services by completing the web form at https://cmvny.com/financial-navigators-program/or calling 914-222-8615 to sign up. The financial navigator will then send a short service agreement and call the client to begin their personal session. Organizations across Mount Vernon can also refer clients directly to a financial navigator.

The City of Mount Vernon is launching the Financial Navigators program in partnership with the CFE Fund, who provided grant funding along with significant technical assistance and training to launch the program in Mount Vernon and other cities and counties across the nation. The Financial Navigators initiative is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Citi Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and the Wells Fargo Foundation.

“Financial distress is a primary part of the COVID-19 crisis, and we’re pleased Mayor Patterson-Howard and her team is making this a priority for Mount Vernon residents,” said Jonathan Mintz, President and CEO of the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund. “The Financial Navigators program will help Mount Vernon residents assess and prioritize their financial concerns and get connected with the right resources.”

For more information on the Financial Navigator program and to learn more about Financial Empowerment visit: at https://cmvny.com/financial-navigators-program/

This press release was produced by City of Mt. Vernon Department of Planning & Community Development. The views expressed here are the author's own.