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• Program: Office of Sustainability <br />Potential Enhancements: Train Kennedy and <br />LaSalle Park workers on green infrastructure <br />development and maintenance, Target <br />Kennedy and LaSalle Park homes for green <br />home improvements and maintenance to <br />decrease energy cost and increase equity <br />position <br />• Program: Small-scale incremental <br />development <br />Potential Enhancements: Focus on <br />neighborhood owners and developers in <br />Kennedy and LaSalle Park for targeted <br />technical assistance to acquire and optimize <br />assets, including renovations and new <br />construction. <br />Financial Empowerment Center <br />Implementation and Partnerships <br />The City will look to partner with local <br />organizations to extend financial empowerment <br />to these partners’ programs and services. This <br />includes partnering with the IMPower Center, <br />Near Northwest Neighborhood, Inc., and others <br />to implement the Financial Empowerment Center <br />in 2024. This partnership includes the continued <br />connection and education around existing City <br />and community resources, development of <br />resources, financial curricula, financial tools, and <br />staffing necessary to implement effective financial <br />empowerment services, including one-on-one <br />financial counseling, at the Financial Empowerment <br />Center. <br />MID-TERM PLAN <br />(Jan. 2024 - Dec. 2025) <br />Establishment of Financial <br />Empowerment Partnerships <br />In this phase of financial empowerment, the <br />City will work to form financial empowerment <br />partnerships to continue programmatic <br />enhancement with financial empowerment <br />services and implement the Financial <br />Empowerment Center with community partners to <br />provide financial counseling services and connect <br />residents to other social and financial services in <br />South Bend. <br />Intent to Continue City Programmatic <br />Enhancements <br />Several other City programs could benefit from <br />financial empowerment enhancements in order <br />to grow residents’ ability to build wealth. For <br />that reason, the City will explore expanding <br />programmatic enhancements based on the <br />success of previous enhancements. Though not an <br />exhaustive list, below is a selection of programs <br />that could be enhanced to boost financial <br />empowerment, implemented in 2024 at the <br />earliest. <br />• Program: Revolving Business Enterprise Fund <br />Potential Enhancements: Increase budget <br />to better address wealth-building initiatives <br />for Westside businesses, Use aggregated <br />Financial Empowerment Center data to <br />match services to residents’ wealth-building <br />needs, specifically business support <br />• Program: Small Business Assistance Suite <br />Potential Enhancements: Shift program <br />support to provide youth asset-building <br />support and counselors; Define youth and <br />worker pathways to become asset builders <br />to create more wealth-building opportunities <br />and strategies <br />34 FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT BLUEPRINT