Conference aims to shed light on family financial struggles, solutions

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BY JEAN ORTIZ / Lincoln Journal Star

It’s the secret no one wants to talk about. Getting by, paycheck to paycheck.  Making ends meet for the present with no means to plan for the future.

In this lifestyle, the way Julie Kalkowski sees it, an unexpected car repair or medical bill could send a family into a downward spiral ending in unemployment or even homelessness.

According to the Federal Reserve, about 40 percent of American households spend more than they earn every month.

“That means 40 percent of our households are on shaky financial ground,” said Kalkowski, managing director of the Financial Stability Partnership,  a cooperative effort between the United Way of the Midlands and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

It’s a problem that can’t be solved without bringing it out from behind the shadows, says Kalkowski. She and other organizers hope a conference Oct. 30 conference in Omaha will shed some necessary light.

“We just want to kind of identify that we have a problem and let people know they aren’t the only ones struggling,” she said.

Organizers are hoping to draw in employers, financial institutions, policymakers, community development resource educators, and others in a position to educate, create change and, more generally, to help keep people out of poverty, Kalkowski said.

Joined by the Nebraska Financial Education Coalition, Voices for Children in Nebraska and the Omaha branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, the partnership has assembled an educational conference designed to get Nebraskans back on track financially.

Keynote speakers include John Hope Bryant, founder of Operation HOPE which aims to eradicate poverty; Nancy Cauthen, deputy director of the National Center for Children in Poverty; and Inger Giuffrida, founder of the Assets Alliance, a membership organization of asset-building professionals.

Presentations and workshops will cover a broad scope of topics, including workplace financial education programs, policies that support family self-sufficiency and consumer protection resources and legislation.

Financial literacy is gaining more attention as home repossessions, the cost of health care and credit card debt all continue to rise, she said.

When citizens are better informed about their financial situation and can find some stability, that in turn helps stabilize the economy, said Glennis McClure, a senior community affairs adviser with the Omaha branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

All children in Nebraska deserve an opportunity to achieve their maximum potential, and that is why Voices for Children of Nebraska is involved in the effort, said the group’s executive director, Kathy Bigsby Moore.

Research has shown that when children grow up in financially struggling families, there is a higher likelihood they’ll be abused or find themselves in foster care or even in the corrections system, she said. This is about prevention.

Organizers say they are proud of the collaborative effort behind the conference and are hoping to come out of the event with even more momentum and partnerships.

“We’re just very excited,” Moore said. “This is really a first in Nebraska and we hope it’s the first of many.”

Reach Jean Ortiz at 473-7107 or jortiz@journalstar.com