Financial Empowerment Centers Helping Residents Gain Control of Their Finances
When Khenitha Reeves moved from Tallahassee to Orange County in 2020 with her two young daughters, she was determined to build a better life. But like many others, she experienced unexpected challenges - especially financial ones - precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a single mother, Reeves wanted to be a strong role model and take control of her finances.
“I know how to stretch a dollar,” said Reeves, “but I didn’t know how to save one.”
That changed when she saw a post about Orange County's Financial Empowerment Center during her lunch break. Within minutes, she had scheduled an appointment that would begin a journey of financial transformation.
El Condado de Orange es el primer gobierno local de Florida en crear un Centro de Empoderamiento Financiero. The program offers free, one-on-one financial counseling to county residents and employees in both English and Spanish. The initiative is a partnership between Gobierno del Condado de Orange, , and the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund. Piloted in New York City in 2008, the Centers have helped clients across the nation reduce over $276 million in personal debt and increase household savings by nearly $54 million.
Reeve's experience highlights the power of this resource. Her financial counselor helped her simplify money management, build on successful habits and set systems that supported her goals.
"It wasn't about lofty ambitions," she said. "It was about setting attainable goals and achieving them one by one. That built my confidence."
FEC counseling sessions - held both virtually and in-person at community centers including John Bridges, East Orange, Hal P. Marston and Pine Hills - cover budgeting, saving, debt reduction and credit improvement. With expansion plans for 2025, access to this service will only grow.
Motivated by her pillars of "faith, finance and fitness," Reeves has become a passionate advocate. "I tell everyone - my friends, family, church community - this is a free service with legitimate experts. It's wise to take advantage of it."
Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings emphasized the broader impact: “Through the Financial Empowerment Center, Orange County can provide local residents with the essential tools for economic independence and stability.”
For residents like Reeves, that dream is now within reach — one financial success at a time.
Schedule your free financial counseling appointment with the FEC by visiting Orange County Financial Empowerment Center.