South Pittsburgh Reporter - Serving South Pittsburgh Since 1939

The City of Pittsburgh in partnership with Neighborhood Allies is creating Pittsburgh’s Financial Empowerment Center (FEC). Pittsburgh’s FEC will provide free one-on-one financial counseling by appointment or walk in at locations around the city.

FECs help clients take control of their debt, deal with debt collectors, improve their credit, create a budget, save, connect to safe and affordable financial products, and much more.

The Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE) Fund, a national nonprofit in New York City, is working to replicate the FEC model through its FEC Public platform. Through a competitive application process, the CFE Fund selected the City of Pittsburgh to plan for, and ultimately launch, a Financial Empowerment Center as a new public service. Advantage Credit Counseling has hired and trained a manager and four counselors, who have been deployed to eight locations.

This service in Pittsburgh is initially funded for two years at a cost of $666,000. The CFE Fund is providing almost half of this cost with the remainder coming from local philanthropies, financial institutions, and a $30,000 contribution from the City of Pittsburgh.

Legislation on the city’s contribution was introduced to Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday, March 19.

Free one on one financial counseling sessions will be available at eight partner locations so participants can find a place and time that works for them by calling Advantage Credit Counseling at 800-298-0237.

Locations throughout the city are:

Advantage Credit Counseling Service, Inc .: 2403 Sidney St., Pittsburgh, PA 15203

PA CareerLink: 304 Wood St., Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Partner4Work: 333 Forbes Ave., 2nd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Focus on Renewal: 500 Chartiers Ave., McKees Rocks, PA 15236

CoLab 18: Nova Place, 100 S. Commons, Suite 100, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

West End Library: 47 Wabash St., Pittsburgh, PA 15220

Homewood-Brushton Family Support Center: 579 Rosedale St., Pittsburgh, PA 15208

Pittsburgh Community Services Inc .: 249 N Craig St., Pittsburgh, PA 15213