List of Non-Profit Resources:

• Consumer Credit Counseling Service of WNC -- http://www.cccsofwnc.org

This United Way agency serves the eighteen most western counties in North Carolina. Our mission is to help people manage their money and credit better.  We use individual counseling and education programs to accomplish this mission.  Most of the counseling and education programs are currently free.  We are funded through grants, individual and corporate donors, and creditors who participate in the debt management program.  CCCS of WNC is a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.  We have sister agencies throughout the state, but I encourage you to contact me for a referral because there are also "nonprofit" agencies which do not have an education component and have been under investigations for their 501(c)(3) status and for hidden fees. 

 

How we help attorneys and their clients:    Attorneys may find our services helpful both to private individuals and employers.  We can sometimes help take a little stress out of your client's life while they wait for resolution of their legal issues.  Letting us counsel about their budget and helping them see how to exist while waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel, is one way we can serve you. For employers, we can work with retention (helping employees understand how their pay relates to the cost of living in their area) and with layoffs (preparing employees for the economic climates they may face).   We also can pull credit reports which generate only a "soft inquiry" and we have staff that has been trained to review those reports.  There is a small charge for pulling credit reports, and generally they must be pulled at the Asheville office.

 

For family law attorneys, we offer a way to educate that spouse who has never managed their money.  Frequently one spouse has never handled money and if that fear is not addressed, it will taint legal negotiations.   Dispelling that fear by having your client attend a "Manage your money" workshop or work with a counselor to learn money skills may facilitate your client's attitude toward settlement possibilities.

 

For bankruptcy attorneys, we are helpful because we can offer budgeting and education so your clients can make the most of their money and regain confidence in their own decision making.  If someone comes to you who can avoid bankruptcy and still salvage their credit report by participating in a debt management program, then we can handle that too.  With our ability to pull credit reports we can give you another method to check creditors and can assist them after your work is done, but the credit report is not accurate.

 

For more information on CCCS, visit our website cccsofwnc.org or debtstress.org, or call Susan "Smitty" Dotson-Smith (828.255.5166 ext.122, or 1.800.737.5485.)  Thank you for taking the time to read about us and thank you for letting us connect to your organization.

• North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NCCASA)  --  http://www.nccasa.org

• Pisgah Legal Services (PLS)  --  http://www.main.nc.us/pls

   

            PLS is an independent, community-based nonprofit law firm serving primarily

            Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, Polk, Rutherford, and Transylvania Counties.

            PLS focuses on helping low-income people to meet basic needs.  PLS clients

            are: children and families, victims of domestic violence, low-income senior

            citizens, people with disabilities, people at risk of homelessness, recent

            immigrants, and the working poor.  PLS also administers the Mountain Area

            Volunteer Lawyer (MAVL) Program, coordinating pro bono services for a

            network of more than 300 private attorneys.  PLS's website includes more info

            on PLS programs, client success stories, and information about how to get

            involved as a volunteer or support PLS financially.

   

• The Rape Crisis Center of Catawba County  --  http://www.rapecrisiscenter.com

Contacts: Amy Fisher -- Executive Director, Heather Eudy -- Victim Advocate, Alice Whitener -- Outreach Coordinator

 

Location: Catawba County, Downtown Hickory, NC Phone: 828-322-6011 Fax: 828-322-1704

 

Our Mission Statement:  The mission of the Rape Crisis Center of Catawba County, Inc. as a nonprofit human service agency is to provide crisis assistance, advocacy and support to those affected by sexual assault as well as community education. All services are free and confidential regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or residency.

 

Services offered:  24-hour crisis intervention, Crisis counseling, Support Groups, Medical and Legal Advocacy, Information and Referral, Community Education (sexual violence, child sexual abuse and sexual assault awareness and prevention), Self-Defense Classes, Training courses for volunteers, and the SART Team - The Sexual Assault Response Team  which is a county wide initiative seeking to build communication and collaboration between agencies serving sexual assault survivors.

• The Wesley Shelter  --  http://www.wesleyshelter.org

• The Family Violence Coalition  --  http://www.familyviolencecoalition.com

 

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