While the term "domestic violence" may encompass a wide variety of interpretations, one facet that should be at the forefront is financial abuse.
Story from a May 24, 2019 Forbes Article--
Jane is a single mother of four young children and a survivor of domestic violence. While married, Jane’s husband and abuser opened up several accounts under her name, without her consent. He then failed to pay the bills, leaving Jamie with a significant amount of debt under her name and a less-than-ideal credit score. Short on funds, Jane went to the bank, only to discover that her husband had depleted the entire balance of their joint account, leaving her penniless. When Jane finally decided to leave, her husband called her workplace several times an hour to find her; to the point that her employer eventually let her go, citing her situation as a potential threat to the safety of her co-workers and the work environment. Even though Jane had physically left her abuser, her financial journey to breaking free from the abuse was far from over. Jamie had been financially abused. Her abuser had damaged her credit, stolen her money and caused her to lose her job and main source of income. Sadly, Jane’s example is all too common.
And the actual statistics are staggering...
>>Each year, the US economy loses about 8,000,000 paid workdays from domestic violence.
>>60% of survivors lose their jobs due to their abuse.
Financial abuse occurs in as many as 99% of domestic violence cases.
>>88.5% of survivors who do leave their abusers return, largely due to financial pressures.
>>42% of US employers reported not offering paid leave to domestic violence survivors.
So as a credit union how can you provide support?
>>Offer emergency financial assistance to get her and her children in a safe place and be able to purchase immediate essentials.
>>Credit repair assistance
>>Implement protocols to prevent abusers from using the credit union to perpetuate economic abuse, such as closing accounts or generating "forced" loans.
>>Help protect the victim against identify theft.
>>STRATEGICALLY partner with Domestic Violence Resource Centers and NGOs who are trained to provide individualized counseling and resources depending on each victim's circumstance.
>>Long term debt relief: offers paths to forgiveness for debts related to the abuser's actions.
>>Customized financial assistance: some credit unions are implementing initiatives like the CU SAFE (Survivor Alliance for Financial Empowerment) program, which pairs qualified survivors with credit unions for one-on-one financial counseling and customized financial assistance. (https://lnkd.in/e3nzUNsF)
Be a part of the solution.
If you want any further information on how your credit union can help break the cycle of financial abuse endured by domestic and gender-based violence victims, reach out and would love to chat.
Safe YOU
CU Sol/CU Safe
US Eagle Federal Credit Union
#SafeYOUapp
#WomenEmpowerment