Asset Building Coalition

The Walla Walla Asset Building Coalition was launched at a community meeting in October 2008. At that session, participants affirmed a commitment to the vision and goals of the Washington State Asset Building Coalition. These goals are:

  • Organize, plan and start up an Asset Building Coalition in Walla Walla & Columbia Counties.
  • Create an effective local Earmed Income Tax Credit (EITC) outreach and education campaign.
  • Educate newly formed asset building coalition about the issues related to community asset building & conduct inventory/study of current asset building activities in the community.

The Walla Walla Asset Building Coalition is supported by the Department of Commerce, Gates Foundation and the First Fruits Fund of the Blue Mountain Community Foundation.

Examples of Asset Building at Work in Walla Walla

The valuable but underutilized tax credit known as the Earned Income Tax Credit has been the focus of an outreach campaign since the inception of the Asset Building Coalition. Activities for outreach, which include printed articles, information booths, radio PSAs, community presentations and school district-wide information distribution, have resulted in over an increase of over $1 Million dollars in EITC claims in Walla Walla County.

On-going Money Smart financial education courses, sponsored and taught by Banner Bank, are held at the YWCA. More classes are planned for Spring 2011. For more information about Money Smart, including a description of each of the modules, follow this link: http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/moneysmart/

In celebration of “Washington Saves Week”, the Walla Walla Asset Building Coalition hosted a Banking and Saving Resource Fair for students who were about to graduate from the Spring Money Smart class This special, low-key event provided students with the opportunity to ask questions of and create relationships with representatives from Consumer Credit Counseling Services and the following banking institutions: AmericanWest, Baker Boyer, Banner, Chase, Community Bank, and US Bank. A light dinner was provided.

The Coalition produced an informational fact sheet explaining aspects of the credit world and where citizens might go for help or guidance: Overwhelmed and Underfunded?

Follow this link to addtional resource information on Prosperity Blueprint. "The Prosperity Blueprint outlines policy opportunities to help Washingtonians build, leverage, and protect assets in order to rebuild a thriving middle class and catalyze prosperity for households and businesses."

For more detailed information about the importance of asset building, go to the Washington State Asset Building Coalition website:

http://www.washingtonabc.org/node/122

For local information, please contact Steve Dickerson, Coordinator, Walla Walla Asset Building Coalition at steved@bmacww.org. Please call (509)529-4980 if you need additional information.