Step Up Savannah

Step Up supports strategies that help families build wealth: bank on Savannah: a program adopted by the banking taskforce to help people without a bank account access free and low-cost checking and savings accounts. Financial education: financial education helps individuals by improving their knowledge and skills related to earning, spending, budgeting, saving, and borrowing. Access to public benefits: Step Up and its partners help families to understand and apply for public benefits such as snap, medicaid and peachcare so that they can make the most of their paychecks. Work supports: Step Up partners with local employers to connect lower-wage workers to services that help them stretch their paychecks and reach financial goals.

Step Up provides resources to build capacity in other community groups and non-profits to combat poverity. Neighborhood leadership academy (nla): nla is a 12-week program offered by Step Up every year, typically in september, held at Savannah state university. Nla engages established and emerging leaders from diverse segments of the community to enhance their leadership skills with a focus on advocacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Americorps vista (vista): americorps vista is a national program designed reduce and combat poverty by recruiting members to build capacity in organizations and communities. Americorps vista commit one year of service and live on a stipend that is equivalent to the federal poverty wage. Step Up acts as an intermediary for americorps vista, currently managing 10 vista sites and 10 vista members (including regular revolving recruitment) to help build capacity at these partner agencies.

Step Up supports workforce readiness and vocational training programs through these initiatives: chatham apprentice program-cap helps unemployed and under-employed chatham county residents find or create career paths that offer family-sustaining wages and opportunities for advancement. Working family network-the working families network (wfn) is a collaborative that aims to build the capacity of community-based organizations, develop our skills collectively, and implement innovative community strategies that assist low-income individuals to achieve economic mobility.currently, the network consists of more than 60 organizations serving low-income savannah/chatham county residents. Developing a skilled and educated workforce is a critical Step in achieving upward mobility for our low-income community.

Poverty is caused by more than a lack of income or better managing personal resources; getting to the root causes means working to change systems that keep people drowning in debt or prevent them from accessing the tools they need to move themselves out of poverty and better position themselves to succeed. Step Up identifies local policies and procedures that can be reformed based upon information and feedback from those directly receiving and providing services. Board members consider issues brought to it by action teams and committees after review and research. Through a process of education and debate, board members vote to address specific policy issues and, with technical support from staff, act as the primary advocates for reform. Major policy areas include affordable housing and predatory lending. Step Up also conducts "poverty simulations" which educate the community to the issues encountered by low income individuals and families in their struggle to improve their living conditions.