Pathfinders

Mission: To eliminate poverty from our community by empowering individuals and families to find their path to social and financial well-being. Vision: Helping families help themselves. Pathfinders offers three programs to families and individuals struggling to overcome the bonds of poverty, homelessness and reentry after incarceration. Our Mentoring program is unique to Tarrant County, matching trained volunteer mentors to provide a broad range of support to clients including: budgeting, job preparation, decision making, emotional support, parenting, and goal setting. Our 89% rate of retained employment confirms this unique program makes a difference in people's lives. The Mentoring program has been recognized for Best Practices by Urban Partnership Initiatives of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Financial Empowerment programs use the Money Smart curriculum developed by the FDIC and innovative instruction to teach financial skills in a personal meaningful learning environment. Classes include instruction in managing money, using financial services, managing credit history and handling financial setbacks. Financial Coaching offers client-drive sessions led by a volunteer coach with training in budgeting, banking and borrowing, and credit. These sessions allow clients to come with their own questions and work together with a coach to take back control of their finances, make better decision, and regain a foothold in financial stability and self-sufficiency. This is a proven effective intervention with 96% of participants achieving greater financial stability, increasing savings by an average of $4,200, and decreasing debt by an average of $5,900.