Designing for Financial Empowerment
Challenges the cycle of poverty by holistically examining current public policy and services.
Designing for Financial Empowerment (DFE) is a cross-sector collaboration between the City of New York, Citi Community Development and the Parsons DESIS Lab to explore how service design can be used to make public sector financial empowerment services more effective and accessible. This landmark initiative challenges the cycle of poverty by holistically examining current public policy and services; understanding the interrelated needs of New York City's most vulnerable populations; and enabling community members to participate in the co-design of the very services that they use, alongside policymakers, advocates and service providers. In the third project started in 2016, we are working with the Office of Financial Empowerment to create a renewed vision for the Financial Empowerment Centers and dramatically improve the financial stability of clients. Since 2008, Financial Empowerment Centers were created in New York City to offer free, professional counseling.