Clarifi

What a pleasure to have such a wide array of community organizations join us at our 3rd annual Independence Blue Cross Health Equity Summit on Monday! I really enjoyed getting to interview some of them for our virtual audience. A huge thank you to all of our Expo participants for taking the time to come to our headquarters and connect with our health plan members! ACHIEVEability, Cayaba Care, Clarifi, City of Philadelphia (DBHIDS, Parks and Rec, and OCE), Commonwealth of PA (PACE), Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, FareRx, Interfaith Philadelphia, M&T Bank, Philadelphia Anti-Drug/Anti-Violence Network (PAAN), Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity, Philadelphia Legal Assistance, Rebuilding Together Philadelphia, Simon's Heart, and Uplifme

In celebration of our partnership with #PhillyJoyBank, we interviewed Brittany Clark, Clarifi’s Lead Counselor for the pilot. She's also a new mom. We spent the day with Brittany and her daughter, Chloe, to learn how this program serves pregnant Philadelphians ?? Brittany said Philly Joy Bank "would have been an amazing resource to have when I was pregnant, on top of free financial counseling." "I’m the mother of a one-and-a-half-year-old, so I’ve been in the participants’ shoes already," she continued. "I was like, 'This is me. This is my demographic.' It’s a program that is very near and dear to my heart." Read the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/e3VP4ATJ

We love helping people like Laverne. Laverne first came to Clarifi several years ago to learn key financial lessons on paying down her credit card debt and increasing her credit score. “I didn't know anything about credit debt, and I didn’t know how to fix it. It just creeped up on me," she said. "Clarifi taught me about my credit, and before I knew it I had paid down my debt." This year, she was the first person to receive a grant through our rental assistance program in Delaware County. Laverne's Clarifi journey demonstrates our proven approach to financial empowerment: By layering counseling, tools, and resources to meet individual needs, we can help people achieve financial resilience—for the long-term.

In honor of the first annual Housing Counselor Day, we're celebrating the Clarifi counselors who prepare Philadelphians like Theresa to buy their first home. Theresa lived in her home for 23 years before closing on it last year. "If it wasn't for Clarifi, I would still be in the process of trying to purchase my home," Theresa said. Thank you to all the housing counselors who help people like Theresa turn their dream of homeownership into reality! #housingcounselorday2024 #letsmakehomethegoal #housingcounseling #homeownership

Clarifi has launched a search for a new executive director after Steve Gardner announced he will retire at the end of 2024. During Gardner’s five-year tenure, Clarifi focused on serving economically marginalized communities, addressing racial injustices, championing affordable housing initiatives, and creating pathways to financial resilience and intergenerational wealth for all individuals, regardless of income or zip code. “I’m proud of the work we’ve accomplished to help our communities unlock economic mobility,” said Gardner, who worked as an audit partner at Deloitte for more than 40 years before joining Clarifi. “Steve’s experience in the financial services industry, combined with his success in building a reliable network of corporate partners, will leave Clarifi in a strong financial position to continue uplifting thousands of Philadelphia-area families every year,” said Wayne Anglace, Chair of Clarifi’s Board of Directors. “Steve diversified and grew our funder portfolio while building out new growth opportunities for both the organization’s service deliveries and staff.” Clarifi’s Board of Directors has hired Koya Partners | Diversified Search Group, a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Individuals who are passionate about making a difference and leading a dynamic team dedicated to uplifting economically marginalized communities are encouraged to reach out to?Erin Reedy at Koya Partners,?[email protected], to learn more. Read the full press release here: https://lnkd.in/eHKxqBvZ

Thank you for sharing the love! We ?? our partnership with Philly Joy Bank. If you didn't know, Clarifi is providing free financial counseling to pregnant Philadelphians receiving a guaranteed income through this 18-month pilot program! Because financial knowledge + direct assistance = improved birth outcomes and financial resilience

We went to Prosperity Now's #ProsperitySummit2024 last week! This event was a great opportunity to learn from 250+ speakers about equity initiatives and challenges, financial empowerment, economic justice, expanding opportunities for people of all incomes, zip codes, and backgrounds, and many more causes that are near and dear to our mission. Our team learned so much from this incredible summit. We love being around like-minded people who work hard to secure economic prosperity for all!

Corporate social responsibility means teaming up with partners like Penn Community Bank to tackle systemic challenges in our communities. We were thrilled to have you all visit our Center City office this week, and we are so excited to see the final project!

Yesterday, Clarifi counselor Stacey Crawford attended the 4th Annual Community Hiring & Resource Fair from PA CareerLink? Philadelphia in Germantown. This event is a great way for families and individuals to seek job opportunities and important resources (like our financial counseling!) all in one place. And we can’t forget the free pretzels, backpacks, and haircuts ?? If you didn’t make it this year, we’ll be sure to see you at the next one!

We are thrilled to announce that Octavia Howell, a manager for the Philadelphia research and policy team at @pewresearch, has joined our Board of Directors! Octavia joined Clarifi's Board of Directors in June, bringing with her a wealth of experience and knowledge in housing affordability and quality, poverty, community engagement, and more. Octavia is also the author and lead researcher of a recent Pew analysis on housing affordability in Philadelphia. The new report, "Single-Family Home Sales in Philadelphia", found that: ?? From 2000 to 2021, the share of annual sales of low-cost homes—those priced at $100,000 or less in 2021 dollars—decreased, while the share of expensive homes increased. ??While home prices increased in every Philly neighborhood, household incomes did not keep pace. ??Homeownership rates fell by 6%. ??The number of Black Philadelphians getting mortgages fell by 25%, making them the only racial or ethnic group to have fewer mortgages originated in 2021 than in 2000. Findings such as these help inform our work and approach to serving thousands of Philadelphia families every year. Read the full report here: https://bit.ly/3Wytjfc News coverage: WHYY: https://bit.ly/4dmXr4N Philadelphia Inquirer: https://bit.ly/3SALboD