Local Policy Agenda

• Enact Local EITC that builds off of state and/or federal credit
• Fund outreach and public awareness campaigns to increase take-up of federal, state and/or local EITC and use of free community tax prep services
• Develop/implement systems to increase take-up a range of local, state and federal public benefits

• Ensure caseworkers and recipients of/applicants for aid have accurate information about amounts they can save
• In states where eligibility decisions are devolved to the local level, lift asset limits

• Embed financial counseling and services into citywide efforts to help residents access public benefits
• Embed financial counseling and services into workforce development and skills training programs
• Embed financial education in K-12 system
• Expand access to asset-specific counseling
• Create standards for quality control and networks to streamline service to the public

• Encourage financial institutions to offer low-cost, convenient savings and transaction products
• Fund public awareness campaigns on availability of appropriate financial products and services
• Encourage employers to connect workers to appropriate financial products and services, e.g., adopting automatic direct deposit of paychecks and offering “opt-out” 401(k)s
• Use direct deposit as the primary means to receive local benefits, local EITC, etc.

• Provide funding for IDA programs to leverage state, federal and/or private funding streams
• Encourage college savings by matching the deposits of savers into education savings accounts
• Add incentives to save to existing municipal programs

• Create a local housing trust fund to provide support to a range of housing and homeownership programs
• Fund home purchase subsidies and 1st-time homebuyer education
• Provide reduced property assessments for developers that rehabilitate buildings and keep rents affordable to low- and moderate income households
• Preserve long-term affordability for future homebuyers by supporting community land trusts or other shared equity programs

• Ease business licensing process for new entrepreneurs
• Fund business incubators
• Provide grants and forgivable loans to businesses for expansion
• Fund organizations that provide technical assistance to entrepreneurs
• Integrate self-employment tax preparation help into existing free/low-cost tax prep services

• Curb predatory payday lending through land use and business licensing powers
• Curb refund anticipation lending through disclosure and other requirements of tax preparers
• Negotiate with financial institutions and tax preparers to improve terms of financial products
• Enforce state and federal consumer protections
• Carryout public awareness campaigns about deceptive consumer practices

• Provide funding for foreclosure prevention counseling and forgivable loans for at-risk homeowners
• Encourage banks to pursue workouts with homeowners at risk of foreclosure
• Enforce building code ordinances for blighted abandoned properties to maintain neighborhood property values
• Provide funding for 1st-time homebuyer counseling

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