Selected Success Stories
In some areas of central Appalachia, residents have to travel more than 45 minutes to reach a bank branch. With just 90 people per square mile, one third of what you’d find in major metropolitan areas, mainstream banks have closed up shop.
Texas is one of the poorest states in the country; business is booming for predatory lenders.
Brittany Moore’s mornings are timed with precision. After a lively early morning scramble to leave the house, she drops her young daughter at day care before making the long drive to work.
The decline of southwestern Virginia’s once booming farm and coal industries brought high rates of poverty and unemployment to the region. Today, well-paying, steady jobs are hard to find and often require training to get ahead.
“I was walking down Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard one day and had in mind to open a bank account. I saw Lower East Side People’s Federal Credit Union and became a member,” says Steward Mitchell, a Harlem resident at the time.
Gary, Indiana’s steel industry boomed in the 1960s, providing jobs to many of the city’s 180,000 residents. A half-century later, due to the industry’s steady decline, the city is economically-distressed.
Hospitality is Las Vegas’ backbone—behind the bright lights of the Las Vegas strip are thousands of servers, bar and restaurant staff, caterers, and hotel and casino support staff keeping people fed, comfortable, and returning for more.