Self-Help Shares

Your opinion counts. Tell the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to stop debt-trap payday loans once and for all!  

Image from stopthedebttrap.org

Eighteen Self-Help Credit Union branches awarded $500 education scholarships for students active in their community. This is the second year Self-Help has sponsored scholarships statewide.

Students were judged on their proven commitment to community service through leadership or volunteer activities. To be eligible students have to be enrolled or planning to enroll in a post-secondary college or vocational school and write an essay on the importance of being active in the community.

June is National Homeownership Month, an occasion well worth celebrating. That’s because families who own homes are able to acquire wealth, not just income. According to a 2014 Federal Reserve study, homeowners, on average, have a median net worth that is 36 times greater than renters--$195,400 for owners versus $5,400 for families that rent.  Owning a home remains America’s best and most reliable path to economic opportunity. 

As we enter bathing suit weather in North Carolina, many people think about shedding pounds, but it’s also a great time to shed debt and plan for rainy days. Nearly everyone would like to be in better shape financially—but how?  At Self-Help, we offer several ways members can get help with finances.

Every day thousands of people get diagnosed with a life-threatening blood disease such as leukemia or lymphoma. Many cases can be cured with a marrow or stem cell transplant, but it’s crucial to find a donor with a matching tissue type. Potential donors simply need to register and get a tissue test with a fast, easy swab of their cheek. 

The restaurant industry is booming nationwide and in North Carolina, providing lots of employment opportunities: about 350,000 workers prepare and serve food in NC restaurants. Unfortunately, too many of these jobs don’t pay a living wage. In NC, one in three restaurant workers lives under the poverty line. About 80% get no earned sick pay, and therefore must choose between working while sick or falling short on their bills.*  Earnings from tips are hit-or-miss, and tipping results in inequities for both restaurant customers and servers.

These were among the issues that prompted a recent public forum dubbed “Forked Durham.”

Dear Members and Friends,

We’re only in the second quarter, but already this has been an eventful year. In January, Self-Help Federal Credit Union merged with Community Trust Federal Credit Union, a small institution with a large local impact serving farmworkers in rural Apopka, Florida. In February, we launched a new mortgage program (The Affordable Loan Solution™) with Bank of America and Freddie Mac, and we are expanding that program with other partners to be announced soon.  Most recently, Self-Help Credit Union merged with Greater Piedmont Credit Union, a North Carolina credit union with 6,000 members representing a dozen employers.

These recent events built on a strong performance last year – for a fun summary, see our 2015 Online Annual Report.  Last year, we made $308 million in loans that helped create new homeowners, launched small businesses, revitalized neighborhoods and expanded community facilities such as charter schools and child care centers. We’ve also increased our focus on financing for clean energy and improving access to healthy foods. Together, Self Help Credit Union and Self-Help Federal Credit Union now provide fair and affordable services to 125,000 members in North Carolina, California, Illinois and Florida. 

While providing direct banking services in the states we serve, we also fight for fair lending everywhere.

What do you get when you cross a financial institution with a passion for building stronger communities?

You get a community development banker. And Self-Help had the honor of hosting more than two dozen of them this week as community development professionals from all over the country attended our Community Development Banking Seminar. 

Today if residents of northeast Greensboro want fresh food, they must walk several miles or take a cab—but that’s about to change. On March 16, Self-Help and Renaissance Community Co-op signed a 10-year lease for a 10,530-square-foot grocery store in the Renaissance Shops at Phillips Avenue.  

Self-Help has partnered with the City of Greensboro to revitalize a nearly-abandoned shopping center that is now becoming Renaissance Shops. The first new tenant will be a cooperative store that brings fresh, healthy food to a neighborhood that has spent nearly 20 years working to get a local grocery store.

John M. Jones, Renaissance Community Co-op board president, holds up the 10-year lease with Kim Cameron, director of real estate for Self-Help Ventures. Photo credit: Fund for Democratic Communities (F4DC).

When people are making their communities a better place while pursuing more education, we want to help. Each of the 18 Self-Help branches in North Carolina will award a $500 scholarship to a local student enrolled in an accredited post-secondary educational institution.  Eligible institutions include colleges, universities, technical, trade and vocational schools. (view additional guidelines and requirements)

See many of last year's scholarship winners here.