Financial Services
Family Savings Account |
Circles Campaign | Free Low Income
Tax Service
 Family Savings Account
(FSA)
Family Savings Account is a statewide initiative supported by
the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic
Development (DCED). This program is designed to help
people with low or moderate incomes establish and maintain a
savings account for the purpose of building the assets needed
for obtaining future goals.
Savings will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $2000.00.
Participants must declare their goal, and stay in the program
for a minimum of one year but not more than two years to receive
the matching funds.
How You Can Take Part in the FSA Program
Individuals who are currently enrolled in various programs
within WCA (such as Next Steps Supportive Housing, Homeownership
Counseling, Head Start and Early Head Start) and who are
interested in the Family Savings Account Program will receive
add-on services to help them with such activities as budgeting
their money, spending their money wisely, contributing regularly
to a savings account, and credit repair.
Other programs, such as the Supported Engagement/Supported
Work Program, assist otherwise unemployed individuals with
securing a job, thus leading to more money flowing into the
household and with it, the opportunity to put away some of that
money into a savings account.
If you are not currently enrolled in any of WCAs programs,
but are interested in the FSA Program, you will be encouraged to
participate in one or more of the agencys services, to
learn the skills associated with budgeting, credit repair, or to
obtain a (better) job. All of this will be done with the end
goal in mind of homeownership, vehicle purchase, secondary
education, or whatever your goal might be.
Basic Economic Literacy Workshops
Participants of the FSA Program must attend four workshops in
basic economic literacy, which will be provided by National City
Bank. The workshops are devoted to such things as banking
basics, budgeting, fundamentals of credit, etc. Workshops
are held quarterly and each workshop will last between 60 and 90
minutes.
The following topics will be covered under the four financial
literacy workshops:
- Bank On It introduces the basics of
banking, from the different types of financial institutions
to the services they offer.
- Money Matters teaches the
concepts and benefits of budgeting. Participages learn
to use a budgeting tool to prepare a personal budget.
- Pay Yourself First helps you
identify ways to save money and shows how many can grow as
you save. You'll learn the difference between
different types of savings and investment accounts.
- Check It Out teaches you to understand
the benefits of using a bank rather than a check cashing
services. You'll understand how to compare types of
checking accounts, open and keep account, write checks, use
ATM cards, keep accurate records and reconcile your account.
- Keep It Safe helps you to identify the
laws that protect their rights as banking consumers, avoid
scams, understand how to protect your identify and resole
complaints with bank accounts
- To Your Credit explains how credit
reports are and how you can read it. It shows you how
to begin to repair your credit, recognize scams, and
understand the importance of a credit history.
- Charge It Right helps you identify
characteristics of credit cards, understand the costs and
benefits, and recognize potential problems with credit card
use.
- Loan to Own describes the
different types of consumer installment loans and helps you
identify the right consumer loan for your needs.
- Your Own Home describe the benefits and
pitfalls of renting versus owning a home, asks questions to
determine if you are ready to buy a home, helps you to
identify different mortgage programs, and recognize basic
terms used in a mortgage transaction.
Eligibility for a Family Savings Account:
- Participation in the FSA Program is limited to
recipients of TANF and other eligible individuals and
working families whose earned income at the time of
enrollment is not more than 200% of the official
Federal Poverty
Guidelines. Download the
guidelines and compare your income to the 200% column.
- Income includes all salaries, wages, dividends,
interest, or other cash receipts for the 12-month period
immediately preceding the date of enrollment.
Specifically excluded from consideration as earned income
are welfare payments, Supplemental Security Income (SSI),
Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) payments, state or
federal training program stipends.
- Salary and wage statements, W-2 forms, signed statements
from the County Board of Assistance, Social Security Office
or the signed certification of the participant are adequate
documentation of income eligibility. Note: The signed
certification of the participant shall be used solely when
other forms of documentation are not obtainable by the
participant.
- An enrolled saver with an approved plan and account
monitored by a service provider must fulfill the
requirements of the approved plan for a minimum of 12 months
but not more than 36 months. The saver must present
satisfactory evidence to the service provider on a quarterly
basis that the savings requirements are being met to
maintain eligibility for match funds.
For More Information
Contact Westmoreland Community
Action or call
724-834-1260.
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 Circles
Campaign
WCA needs you! We are looking for 15-20 families in
Jeannette and Monessen to
take part in the Circles Program as a Circle Leader.
While the US is the richest country on earth, 1 in 10
children in Westmoreland County lives in poverty. We need
to change that.
Circles is a strategy that seeks to change the mind-set of a
community so that it wants to end poverty by changing goals,
policies and approaches to work more effectively.
Westmoreland Community Action wants to empower people who
deal with poverty in their lives every day to help us solve
community problems while transitioning themselves out of
poverty.
We're looking for Circle Leaders in Monessen and Jeannette - families who want to
improve their situation and help others to understand the
issues.
For More Information
Contact Westmoreland Community
Action or call Rebecka Andrae, 724-837-6339 ext 10.
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 Free Low Income Tax Service
In partnership with the Internal Revenue Service, WCA
sponsors a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site that
provides free income tax return preparation for taxpayers who
have limited or moderate incomes, senior citizens and persons
with disabilities.
Our mission is to deliver every last cent to all those
entitled under the current tax law. Special attention will be
given to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and other
refundable items being ignored by as many as one-in-four
eligible tax payers.
Staffed entirely by volunteers, there are currently 3 sites
within Westmoreland County.
For more information on sites, schedules and required forms
needed, please
click here!
Eligibility for Free Low Income Tax Service:
You may qualify if you make less than the 200% column for
your family size on the
Federal Poverty Guidelines. Download the
guidelines and compare your income to the 200% column.
For More Information
Contact Westmoreland Community
Action
Program Funding
- The Family Savings Account program is funded by the PA
Department of Community & Economic Development.
- Circles Campaign is provided by the PA Department of
Community and Economic Development, the PA Department of
Public Welfare and The Community Foundation of Westmoreland
County.
- The Free Income Tax Service is funded by Pathways PA and
AmeriCorps.
We Provide Services to Residents of Westmoreland County
At Westmoreland Community Action, we provide services to
residents in towns and townships throughout Westmoreland County,
PA including: Adamsburg, Alverton, Arnold,
Bolivar, Claridge, Crabtree, Delmont, Derry, Donegal, East
Vandergrift, Export, Greensburg, Harrison City, Herminie, Irwin,
Jeannette, Kecksburg, Latrobe, Ligonier,
Lower Burrell, Mammoth, Manor, Monessen, Mount Pleasant,
Murrysville, New Alexandria, New Florence, New Kensington, New
Stanton, North Belle Vernon, Norvelt, Scottdale,
Smithton, South Greensburg, Southwest Greensburg, Stahlstown,
Trafford, Vandergrift,
West Newton, Youngstown, and Youngwood.
Townships in Westmoreland County include:
Allegheny Township, Bell Township, Cook Township, Derry
Township, Donegal Township,
East Huntingdon Township, Fairfield Township, Hempfield
Township, Ligonier Township,
Lower Burrell Township, Loyalhanna Township, Mount Pleasant
Township, Murrysville Township, North Huntingdon Township, Penn
Township, Rostraver Township, Saint Clair Township, Salem
Township, Sewickley Township, South Huntingdon Township, Upper
Burrell Township, Unity Township, and Washington Township
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