Opportunity PassportTM
Financial Training, Coaching and $3,000 Matched Savings for Young People who Experienced Foster Care!
114
OP graduates since June 2020!
$233,972
Worth of Assets Purchased by OP graduates since June 2020!
Opportunity Passport® is a Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative program at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and is the gold standard of financial management programs for young adults who have experienced foster care. In 2020, Voices teamed up with Ready for Life, a skill-based learning center for young adults transitioning out of foster care, to proudly be the first independent site authorized to deliver the program. With Opportunity Passport® young adults ages 17-29 in Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough Counties who have spent at least one day in foster care receive financial literacy training, financial coaching and a savings match up to $3,000 to purchase an asset like a car.
OP Graduate Resource Bank
Interested in joining Opportunity Passport as a young adult, financial coach or other supporter? Do you have questions about the program? Let us know!
What You Get When You Join OP:
1. Financial Literacy Training
Participants learn how to earn money, budget, save, pay off debt and more in this 5-class online course designed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation specifically for young adults who have experienced foster care. The classes are co-taught by the Director of Financial Empowerment at Voices, Jeanne Joyner, and Vanessa Kasprzyk, a Certified Investment Management Analyst, Sales Executive, and Voices board member who was formerly in foster care. Every young adult receives one-on-one support during the course to answer questions, provide encouragement and assist with real life applications like setting goals, creating a budget and looking up credit reports. After successfully completing the course and opening a bank account, participants receive a $100 stipend to jumpstart their savings. Participants also receive stipends for taking assessments and surveys that provide feedback used to evaluate the success of the program.
2. United Way Suncoast Financial Coaching
Once participants have graduated from the financial literacy course, they connect with a financial coach from United Way Suncoast. The coaches are volunteers with financial experience and are trained in coaching by United Way Suncoast. Opportunity Passport® graduates meet virtually with their financial coach once a month to apply what they learned in the course to reach their specific goals. This individualized support has had a huge impact on our Opportunity Passport® graduates as they successfully reach their goals and become financially capable.
3. $3,000 in Matched Savings to Buy Assets
Thanks to the support of United Way Suncoast, graduates of the program can match dollar for dollar up to $3,000 to purchase qualifying assets that promote their financial capability. Through Opportunity Passport®, young adults in Tampa Bay have purchased assets valuing over $200,000 as of June 2023! By purchasing cars, putting down payments on housing, building credit and investing in small businesses, our graduates have become more independent, stable and financially capable.
More Opportunities for OP Grads!
College & Career Coaching
Voices is partnering with Cetera, an organization that works to increase
networks of support for youth from foster care in areas of education, social connections and housing, to provide college coaching. College Coaching is an opportunity for young people who have foster care experience and who are in college (two-year, four-year, technical) to connect with a coach for the duration of their college career. Coaches will provide support to students as they set goals, navigate challenges, and celebrate success in all areas of their life. If you are currently in college or have the goal to start college and are interested in receiving this individualized support, contact Jeanne Joyner at [email protected] or use the email feature below.
Buying a Car Class
Using your match to purchase a car? There is a lot to consider! Avoid the pitfalls of buying a new or used vehicle with this one-night, online class! You’ll learn how to find a car that fits your lifestyle and budget, about the purchasing process and things to be aware of whether buying from a dealer or an individual seller. Plus, when you put what you’ve learned to use, you’ll receive an additional $500 in match money toward the purchase of a car! For more information, contact [email protected] or use the email feature below.
The Results!
Over Opportunity Passport®’s 15-year history, the curriculum has proven results and has even been adopted and funded statewide by the Department of Children & Families in several other states. As of December 31, 2019, 4,863 young people had purchased 11,590 assets through the Opportunity Passport®. Participant savings and match funds for these purchases totaled over $18,700,000. This means that, over the course of 15 years, young people have saved over $8,000,000 for these asset purchases.
“My name is Falana and I wanted to share with you my recent experience and why it’s never too late to start working on your goals. Now, I will say this first lol never rush your goals based off of others accomplishments; do it at your own pace so you don’t feel rushed or overwhelmed about everything. I would like to share a goal of mine that has been heavy/tricky:
My credit has been a battle for at least 10 years, and I just felt like it was time to take care of business and make that my focus and my priority. Now granted, I knew it would take A LOT and I mean A LOT of work but I was truly determined to get it done through all the hardships. Ready for Life, Suncoast Voices for Children and United Way Suncoast started offering a program called Opportunity Passport, which teaches young adults like myself different skills and class courses such as savings, checking, credit building & more. I was really excited to join the class because I was eager to learn everything, especially if I know it can better my future. I went into the class with a plan and graduated from the class learning a lot more that I needed to know and it was one of the best decisions of my life. Upon completing the program, I had an incentive to match what I had saved which could be used for assets such as housing, vehicles, starting a business and again many other resourceful things to help you to become a more self sufficient adult. After graduating the class, I gave myself an assignment: to save up half of what I needed to save and then the remaining balance would be matched to fix my credit. I created a small vision board on ways to inspire me to fix my credit I turned my vision into a reality. As of April 2021, I paid my credit debt in full!! Now, if you know me, then you would understand this has been a long journey, but I stuck with my plan most importantly I have a wonderful support team who was with me along the way. I want to personally thank all of the volunteers who helped with the program and also Ready for Life and Suncoast Voices for helping me accomplish this goal and also believing in me, especially within the times I didn’t believe in myself. My next goal is to become a homeowner and inspire others to complete one of their goals so they can inspire others as well. I am so thankful for the opportunity that was given to me and I thank you all for helping me to start a better future.”
Falana
Interested in joining Opportunity Passport as a young adult, financial coach or other supporter? Do you have questions about the program? Let us know!
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