National League of Cities (NLC) Financial Inclusion Cohort Application Copyright 2014
City of Dubuque Consent Items # 17.
ITEM TITLE: National League of Cities (NLC) Financial Inclusion Cohort
Application
SUMMARY: City Manager transmitting the National League of Cities
(NLC) Financial Inclusion Cohort application in partnership
with Project HOPE.
SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
NLC Financial Inclusion Cohort Application Supporting Documentation
THE CITY OF Dubuque Office of the Mayor
T TI R krINVA City Hall
D �J L GIFAmelicaCBv 50 West Dubuque,
IA Street
Dubuque,IA 52001-4864
www.cityo£dubuque.org
Masterpiece on the Mississippi 2009.2012.2019
Dec. 1, 2015
National League of Cities
Institute for Youth Education & Families
1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 550
Washington, DC 20004
Re: Cities Building Systems to Promote Financial Inclusion Technical Assistance Project
To Whom It May Concern,
As Mayor of Dubuque and on behalf of my City Council colleagues, it is my pleasure to express my
strong support of the City of Dubuque application for the NLC Financial Inclusion cohort.
The City of Dubuque supports financial inclusion efforts in Dubuque both directly and through
community partnerships such as our Housing and Community Development Department's Family Self-
Sufficiency coaching and saving program and Bank On, a cross-sector partnership established in 2011 to
reach our unbanked community members.
These financial inclusion efforts are supported by a budding network of partners called Project HOPE
(Helping Our People Excel). The City of Dubuque supports the network through a partnership with the
Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, which convenes Project HOPE partners around the
mission of increasing access to opportunity for all community members through strengthening provider
collaboration that addresses family economic security.
I look forward to joining the National League of Cities Financial Inclusion cohort if selected. I will plan
to attend the Mayor's Institute from April 19—20, 2016, and continue the work of championing and
supporting financial inclusion efforts in our community.
Sincerely,
l
Roy D. Buol, Mayor
563-564-5455
rdbuol@cityofdubuque.org
City of Dubuque Proposal
Cities Building Systems to Promote Financial Inclusion 2016
L Early Case Statement
a. The Challenge:
The City of Dubuque currently employs several pillar financial inclusion strategies
through municipal services and nonprofit and private sector programs, however, these
services are not structurally aligned to provide the most comprehensive services as
equitably as possible. Currently in Dubuque, 14% of the overall population lives under
100% of the poverty level. That 14% 52.5% includes the total Black population of the
City. 19.5% of Dubuque's overall population is unbanked or underbanked, and over
6,000 households have housing costs that exceed 30% of their income.
To increase community-wide access, outreach, and delivery of services most
efficiently and comprehensively to all residents, the challenge before us is to firmly
establish a network in order to build community capacity to support financial
inclusion by structurally aligning systems, programs, and practices.
One critical challenge that such a network will address is data collection around
needs and gaps in services. In a community the size of Dubuque, available data from
national sources often does not provide the level of detail needed to direct planning.
By strengthening multi-sector partnerships, we plan to improve data sharing to better
inform program decisions and improve assessment.
b. Outcomes:
A Dubuque coalition or network of multi-sector financial inclusion partners will create
the following outcomes:
• Increase dollars to families through EITC/VITA participation
• Increase family asset building by connecting EITC savings to existing coaching
and education programs
• Increase the number of banked families through participation in Bank On
• Establish a data collection platform to track progress in these indicators
As we work toward these outcomes, we will continue to track population level
indicators such as the disaggregated poverty rate, with attention to our priority
populations in order to help measure the effectiveness of our efforts.
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City of Dubuque Proposal
Cities Building Systems to Promote Financial Inclusion 2016
c. Financial Inclusion and the Mayor's Agenda:
In 2005, Mayor Roy Buol was elected on a sustainability platform and has been leading
our city toward greater economic, social, and environmental sustainability for the
past 10 years. Today, our City Council 2015-18 goals include equity and inclusion as a
top priority. As a STAR (Sustainability Tools for Assessing and Rating Communities)
City, Dubuque has committed to measuring outcomes across seven areas of
sustainability, one of which is "Equity and Empowerment." STAR objectives for
equity and empowerment include poverty prevention and alleviation and providing
equitable access to services. The City's comprehensive approach includes services
described in Section II; supporting a broader community focus on equitable economic
opportunity for Dubuquers.
II. Current Financial Inclusion Strategy and Agenda
a. Existing Financial Inclusion Programming:
Dubuque engages all four pillar strategies through municipal or nonprofit and private
sector programs.
1. VITA and EITC outreach in Dubuque is lead by Operation: New View Community
Action Agency (ONV). ONV completed 322 Dubuque County tax returns through VITA
sites in 2015. ONV partners with City Housing programs and other service providers to
promote VITA/EITC in the community.
2. Multi-benefit outreach and access is offered in Dubuque through a variety of
community partners. Examples include the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance
Program (LIHEAP), offered through Operation: New View Community Action Agency.
The nonprofit Crescent Community Health Center not only serves those qualifying for
Medicaid but engages in extensive outreach in the community in order to educate
residents about services and insurance benefits. Information about these and other
municipally administered services is shared with residents through City Housing
programs such as FSS and Circles (see below).
3. Financial education, counseling and coaching is likely the strongest pillar in
Dubuque's financial inclusion strategy. Coaching and education are offered through
City Housing and Community Development homeownership assistance programs as
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City of Dubuque Proposal
Cities Building Systems to Promote Financial Inclusion 2016
well as the Family Self-sufficiency program (FSS) and the Dubuque Circles Initiative.
Currently through FSS, 109 housing voucher recipients are working with coaches
toward financial goals and given the opportunity to save in an escrow account. Many
FSS participants also participate in the Circles Initiative where they are paired up with
volunteer allies to address financial stability goals.
In addition to these two municipally led programs, financial coaching is provided
through the Iowa State University Extension office (especially in partnership with Bank
On and Circles), the Consumer Credit Counseling Center, and Operation: New View
Community Action Agency, to name a few.
4. Homeownership assistance is offered through several City Housing and Community
Development programs ranging from homeownership classes, to Section 8 first-time
homebuyer loans, to home maintenance assistance.
Dubuque offers a cluster of other financial inclusion strategies in addition to these
pillar programs. Bank On Dubuque was launched in 2011, through the mayor's
support, private sector financial partners, the administration of the Community
Foundation of Greater Dubuque and volunteer efforts. Matched savings programs
(Individual Development Accounts (IDA)) are offered to low-income residents by two
institutions: Dupaco Community Credit Union, with a particular focus on participants
in City Housing's Circles Initiative, developing effective financial coaching for IDA
holders, and Four Oaks, serving youth aging out of foster care. All of these strategies
work together through community collaboration, which has often been supported by
Project HOPE (Helping Our People Excel), an initiative created through a partnership
between the City of Dubuque and the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque.
Project HOPE helps connects agency partners for greater alignment and impact on
family economic security through career pathway development and financial
inclusion.
b. Existing City Government Capacity:
The City of Dubuque dedicates significant staff and financial resources to financial
inclusion through the administration and operation of the City Housing and Community
Development programs described above (Family Self-sufficiency, Circles Initiative,
and homeownership assistance programs). Several senior staff and program
coordinators currently devote time to participate in the Project HOPE network and
engage community partners to continue to align services. As the financial inclusion
work of Project HOPE continues to grow, these City staff will continue to contribute
and participate in the Financial Inclusion Cohort. (See (d.))
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City of Dubuque Proposal
Cities Building Systems to Promote Financial Inclusion 2016
c. Financial Inclusion Programming We Hope to Implement:
We will strengthen our emerging multi-sector financial inclusion network in order to
expand our existing services and increase reach so that the comprehensive services
Dubuque partners provide are being utilized to their full capacity for the maximum
benefit of each family. Specific program improvements that we plan to implement
through firmly establishing this network include, but are not limited to:
• Strengthen the Bank On program through developing an outreach strategy to
engage new participants with the help of local service providers
• Improve training for financial institutions in Bank On program implementation
• Increase VITA/EITC outreach and coordination informed by greater awareness
of need in priority populations
• Align VITA/EITC efforts with other existing programs such as incentivized
savings through FSS or Circles Initiative, homeownership programs, and newly
developed partnerships
• More effectively connect families with financial education and coaching
through a multi-partner delivery system
i) With four pillar strategies firmly in place, supported by other inclusion programs,
our next step is to strengthen the network of financial inclusion service providers and
commit time and resources to evaluation of service delivery. In addition to the work
that each individual organization has done to establish programming, the Project
HOPE network has worked to build cross-sector partnerships, research best practices,
and locate resources. Moving forward we will expand efforts to align financial
inclusion strategies and outreach efforts through addressing the following goals:
• Aligning and coordinating services to avoid duplication, increase outreach and
identify service gaps
• Implementing best practices and strategies for effective delivery of financial
education, counseling and coaching in our community
• Improving the use of shared data and outcomes
ii) Challenges to address in strengthening the network include creating stronger
connections between partners who have functioned largely independently for many
years and determining what data to collect in order to assess needs, gaps and service
system outcomes. Additionally, we must determine how to honor the contribution of
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City of Dubuque Proposal
Cities Building Systems to Promote Financial Inclusion 2016
volunteers to the network (Bank On and financial education) while transitioning
leadership institutionally.
d. Assets the Mayor Can Leverage:
The mayor's primary asset in enhancing financial inclusion efforts in Dubuque is the
expansive network of willing, nonprofit, private and City program partners. In
addition to these institutional partners, the city is armed with a strong VITA volunteer
force.
The committed team of stakeholders that will participate in the financial inclusion
cohort will include:
• Project HOPE Coordinator, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque: Cohort
team leader and coordinator with direct access to the mayor
• City of Dubuque Housing and Community Development Director and staff from
FSS, Circles, other housing programs as appropriate
• Operation: New View Community Action Agency Director and Special Projects
Manager who coordinates VITA/EITC Outreach
• United Way of the Dubuque Area Tri-States Director and appropriate staff
working to build their involvement in EITC Outreach and general income
support
• Bank On Dubuque partner financial institutions
• Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Human Science Specialist/Family
Finance Specialist
A significant asset available to the mayor in order to support collaboration, track
progress, hold each other accountable, and measure outcomes is the Results Based
Accountability (RBA) framework and tools. The City of Dubuque, the Community
Foundation, the United Way, and several other community partners are already
benefiting from RBA training and use of the Results Scorecard. We hope to utilize RBA
tools within our financial inclusion network to help form a culture of data-driven
program delivery. It will be a major asset to start on our existing foundation of
training and access to RBA resources.
e. How Participating in the Technical Assistance Cohort Will Inform Our Broader
Agenda for Financial Inclusion:
With pillar programs and services already in place, and the building blocks of a
financial inclusion network formed, participation in the NLC cohort will help us align
our partnerships around a common, well-informed vision. Our anticipated agenda is
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City of Dubuque Proposal
Cities Building Systems to Promote Financial Inclusion 2016
to firmly establish the financial inclusion network and align services to provide a
comprehensive strategy. Participation in this cohort will help us learn best practices
from other cities, share what is working in our city, and see how similar partnerships
have impacted financial inclusion outcomes. We are particularly interested in
improving our system delivery for financial education and coaching through multi-
sector models. Technical assistance around data collection will also be instrumental
in steering our efforts toward results driven accountability by learning what data to
collect and how to disaggregate and use it to drive outcomes.
f. How the City is Using Data to Assess Residents' Financial Inclusion Needs:
Data collected by each institution drives program level efforts. For example, Family
Self-sufficiency, Circles, and Bank On each individually track whether participants
have bank accounts, and some programs also measure income increases and savings
increases. There is not a city-wide effort to collect detailed financial inclusion data
around unmet needs and service gaps. Through Inclusive Dubuque, a community-wide
equity initiative supported by the City of Dubuque, population level indicators of
economic-wellbeing are being tracked. Creating a mechanism to support deeper,
more specific data collection around financial inclusion indicators will strengthen the
community's commitment to data driven work.
III. Support from Mayor Buol
Please see letter attached.
Our Mayor fully supports this initiative and is committed to ensuring Financial
Inclusion for all citizens as a part of the City's overall Sustainability and
Equity/Inclusion efforts. See the Mayor's letter of support attached.
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