Credit Counseling

The organization provides financial assistance services for City of Los Angeles and Long Beach residents. Services include credit counseling, a financial transaction facility, foreclosure assistance, low-income home loans, personal financial management counseling for adults and for adolescents and counseling in disaster recovery. Geographic restrictions apply for some services. The center provides credit counseling services for individuals and also provides seminars for the public on financial issues and credit repair. The Operation Hope Banking Center is a financial transaction facility that provides check cashing service, checking and savings accounts, ATM services, money orders and money transfer services. The center also provides loan services for low income, moderate income and upper income individuals. Services include home loans; conventional personal loans, including educational loans for parents; and home loans including FHA and VA loans. Special programs target first-time home buyers. The center sponsors a financial literacy program for youth called Banking on Our Future (BOOF), for ages 10 through 20, who attend school in Los Angeles. The program teaches young people about the purpose of credit, personal financial responsibility and the basics of banking. BOOF classes are for schools and communities and are led by HOPE Corp volunteers who have comprehensive training in financial literacy and teaching techniques. The program also provides personal financial literacy programs for adults through courses in credit, financial management, budgeting and life management programs. In a natural disaster such as flooding and fire the center provides counseling for document location and recovering a budget to assist individuals to get back on their feet after a disaster.