If money stress has been following you around this summer — a stack of bills that won’t stop growing, a credit score that makes every rate offer look worse than the last — Love Columbia, a Columbia nonprofit, has a program built to work through it with someone, not alone.
It’s called Extra Mile: 16 weeks, one-on-one with a volunteer coach, building a real budget and a real plan around real debt. Participants who hit milestones along the way earn gas or grocery gift cards, with additional financial support at the eight-week mark and at graduation, and some qualify for no-interest loans to pay off higher-interest debt. One graduate wrote that their credit score climbed from 483 to 640 over the course of the program.
Signing up starts with an online form at lovecolumbia.org/help, or a call to 573-256-7662, option 1 — the coaching line takes calls Monday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. and Wednesday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Love Columbia’s Connections team says it responds within one to three business days to schedule a screening. Questions can also go to coaching@lovecolumbia.org, extension 156.
For anyone specifically working toward owning a home, Love Columbia also runs a free First-Time Homebuyer Class six times a year for people who are “mortgage ready” — a credit score of 600 or better, debt-to-income at 45% or less, and steady positive cash flow. The next session is Saturday, Sept. 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Love Columbia Center, 1209 E. Walnut St. There’s also an online option through eHome America for $100 that includes one-on-one counseling. Reach that program at homebuyer@lovecolumbia.org or 573-256-7662, option 5.
Love Columbia’s work centers on Boone County — worth a phone call if a financial reset has been on the to-do list.
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