Ceiba, FINANTA, and Santander Bank announced on Monday the launching of a pilot program that enables low-to-moderate income immigrants to save and secure low-cost loans for expenses associated with attaining US citizenship.
The effort, titled Programa Adelante (The Forward Program), provides intensive financial literacy education, one-on-one credit and budget counseling, immigration related workshops, and free tax preparation.
"It is great to be part of a program that helps people achieve their dream of US citizenship and, through that, build on other American dreams like homeownership and financial security," said Luis Mora Rechnitz, President of FINANTA, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) serving unbanked and underbanked low-income, immigrant, and minority entrepreneurs, consumers, and first-time homebuyers in the Philadelphia region.
“Attaining legal residency and eventual citizenship is vital to the economic stability of immigrant families, yet so many are unable to do so due to a lack of reliable information, economic resources, and financial knowledge.” said Taylor De La Peña, Program Coordinator at Ceiba, a community-based organization that promotes the economic development and financial inclusion of Philadelphia’s Latino community through collaborations, advocacy, and a comprehensive approach to asset building. “This program combats some of those barriers through a safe and affordable loan program, immigration related resources, and financial education.”
Rafael Collazo of UnidosUS cited a recent report titled “Access to Small Dollar Credit Leads to Immigrant Inclusion” published by UnidosUS, which states that naturalization can yield an increase in earnings between 8% and 11% annually for a family.
“Through Santander’s partnership with Ceiba and Finanta, this program will provide the financial tools needed for new Philadelphia-area Latino immigrants to succeed in life and achieve their American Dream through homeownership, entrepreneurship, and financial stability,” said Angela Moultrie, Santander Bank’s Region President for the PA-NJ Central Region.
For more information about Programa Adelante please call 215-634-7245 or email info@ceibaphiladelphia.org.
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