He couldn’t risk losing what he’d worked so hard for

Jacob Jensen ends 2021 on a positive note.

He continues to pursue a degree from St. Petersburg College while taking advantage of Opportunity Passport, a program supported by United Way Suncoast that provides financial literacy training for young adults who were in foster care. Opportunity Passport, a collaboration between Suncoast Voices, the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative and Ready For Life, matches the savings of the students up to $3,000.

In addition to more savings, Jacob now has a bank account. Thanks to BankOn Suncoast, he’s no longer cashing his checks and walking around with a wad of cash in his pocket.

“I was always nervous that I would lose my money, and I wasn’t comfortable going to a check cashing place that would take a percentage of my paychecks,” Jacob said. “When I learned about Bank On, I applied online and I was accepted instantly. Now, it’s easy for me to manage my money online, I can put money into savings easily and I can budget to make sure I can cover all of my bills.”

United Way Suncoast serves as the lead convenor of BankOn Suncoast, a grass-roots coalition of 20-plus banks that improve the financial stability of unbanked or underbanked individuals by providing them with access to safe and affordable banking products like checking accounts and debit cards. 

With your help, United Way Suncoast can bring financial stability to more community members and help them start the new year on the right step. Because individuals and families deal with crisis every day of the year, not just during the holidays. Together, we are lifting up working families long after the decorations come down.

United We Rise. United We Win.