Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Financial Opportunity Centers provide employment, financial coaching, and income support services to low-income clients at 76 community-based organizations in 20 metropolitan areas. The goal of FOCs is to help individuals and families reach financial stability. Employment services such as soft skills training, vocational education, and job placement services are combined with one-on-one coaching that addresses participants’ employment and financial planning goals, and ensures they have access to applicable public benefits. Integrating these financial, employment, and income support resources into one “bundle” of integrated services is the core of the FOC model. This presentation will report on results from a quasi-experimental study of the effectiveness of the FOC model as well as supporting evidence from program data and ethnographic research into program effectiveness, and will explore the implications of scaling up a data-driven program model while conducting research into its effectiveness.