Self-Help Shares

In 2020, we served more than 167,000 credit union members in 69 locations across seven states. Our top priority was the safety and well-being of our members and staff. Working with partners, we also continued our day-to-day work of boosting homeownership, expanding access to capital, advocating for fair lending policies, and investing in communities that have been underserved in mainstream markets. See highlights and results in our 2020 annual report.

Congratulations to this year’s Self-Help Scholarship winners! Each Self-Help branch had an opportunity to award a scholarship to student in their community who demonstrated a commitment to community service. In line with our mission, we seek students who are not only focused on academics and leadership, but who also want to help make the world a better place. Each person selected receives an award of $1,000 paid directly to the student’s school to cover tuition or other expenses.

Black, Indigenous, Latinx and other farmers of color are skilled agriculturalists and business operators that have made exceptional contributions to the American food system. These contributions have dramatically influenced the foods we eat, the crops we grow, and the farming practices we use to produce those crops. A few of these important contributions include regenerative farming practices like crop rotation and composting, the community-supported agriculture (CSA) model, farming cooperatives and refrigerated transportation systems. However, seemingly at every turn, U.S. policy and practices have created systemic barriers to economic prosperity for BIPOC farmers and food entrepreneurs.

Juneteenth is a time to celebrate freedom while remembering we still have a long way to go to achieve racial equality. The fight for civil rights and economic justice have always been at the heart of Self-Help’s mission. This week as we prepare to say goodbye to two esteemed colleagues at our affiliate, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), we want to lift up the remarkable work they accomplished to move our mission forward.

In 1970, 42% of Black families owned a home. In recent times, the homeownership rate for Black householders has hovered around 44% -- not a big difference. In this post, we discuss how previous gains in homeownership have been erased for families of color, and how Self-Help offers greater financing flexibility to help expand homeownership opportunities in the communities we serve.

As we head into Memorial Day weekend, we remember those who have sacrificed their lives in service to our country. There will be countless traditional remembrances across the nation as people visit monuments and hold special events. Many will participate in the National Moment of Remembrance, an annual event that encourages Americans to pause for a moment of silence at 3:00 p.m. to honor the fallen.

On the South Side of Chicago, we have good news as Seaway, a division of Self-Help Federal Credit Union, reopens its renovated headquarters this Monday, May 17, with plenty of space for partners and community events.

When you meet Mr. Lee Curry, it makes you realize it’s not only how long you live—it’s how well you live. Mr. Curry, who is just a few months shy of 102 years old, has lived long. As a veteran, husband, father and superb gardener, he has also lived well. We are honored that he is a long-time member of Seaway, a division of Self-Help Federal Credit Union.

This week the Center for American Progress hosted a roundtable to present research and best practices in climate investment. Presenters included Sonrisa Cooper of the Greenlining Institute, Michela Zonta and Zoe Willingham representing CAP; and Melissa Malkin-Weber and David Beck from Self-Help. Among the key messages: The need to combat climate change is urgent. We have an opportunity to accelerate investments in clean energy—but along with the risks of environmental destruction there’s the risk of perpetuating economic and racial inequities.

This week we’re sharing a blog post from a new website for the CDFI Racial Equity Collaborative on Education. In “Pandemic Lessons on Equitable Lending in Education,” Self-Help’s Brittany Bennett Weston discusses how some public charter schools quickly adapted to meet student and community needs during the pandemic. Citing national data and her lending and personal experience, Brittany discusses the importance of “creating systems that support the whole person within the broader social context.”