HOPE Inside provides credit and money management help

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The HOPE Inside Macon-Bibb began serving people this week at the Buck Melton Center in Macon, by providing four credit and money management workshops free of charge.

The workshops are in preparation of a new HOPE Inside Center to open up next month.

HOPE Inside is part of the global program Operation HOPE, which is designed to help people raise their credit scores and gain a better understanding of their finances.

“[Operation HOPE] is a global non-profit organization that’s focused on economic empowerment,” said Operation HOPE Market Vice President Tara Dennis. “We are partnering with the city and county, Macon and Bibb County, around a brand new initiative around economic inclusion.”

Dennis believes that giving lessons to the public about how to earn a higher credit rating, getting rid of debt, saving more, and knowing how to budget will also provide a boost to local communities.

“We’re essentially trying to change the community,” Dennis said, “when you raise the entire credit score of a community, that community transforms… your brick and mortar financial institutions move in, your grocery stores move in. It makes it a more viable place to desirably raise a family.”

Dennis stated there are about seventeen HOPE Inside locations around the Southeast region, including in the states of Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia. These centers are inside places like grocery stores, banks, and even churches.

Dennis also estimates that Operation HOPE has provided $1.8 billion in economic relief in their 24 years of existence, helping around 2.5 million clients.

The HOPE Inside Macon-Bibb Center will open at the Buck Melton Complex on March 1st, and will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

The services provided by the center will also be free.