For Immediate Release
October 30, 2024
Media Contact:
[email protected]
Holly Cooper, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Communications
(601) 760-7998
Environmentally sustainable facility to serve as hub for
community development and reinvestment in North Jackson
JACKSON, MS—Today, Hope Credit Union (HOPE) broke ground on its newest location, the HOPE Economic Empowerment Center. The new center, will provide members with a comprehensive suite of products and services to meet their individual financial needs and the needs of their families and businesses. Anyone who supports HOPE’s mission of improving the lives of people in low resource communities is eligible to join the credit union.
In addition to providing greater access to its direct services through the Center, HOPE will partner with area nonprofits, colleges and universities, and other organizations to provide financial counseling, home buyer education, and entrepreneurial training classes and seminars. Space will be made available for local groups to host meetings to discuss issues and solutions related to economic mobility in their community.
The renovation of the formerly vacant building will model design elements such as solar power and efficiency upgrades that lower energy costs and improve environment sustainability, and serve as an anchor for reinvestment in a neighborhood plagued in recent years by commercial outmigration.
“HOPE was established 30 years ago to ensure that people in under resourced communities had access to the tools needed to support their families and realize their potential,” said Bill Bynum, CEO of Hope Credit Union, “The HOPE Economic Empowerment Center weaves together the experience, expertise and relationships we’ve garnered over three decades to create a powerful community hub that will drive our impact to new heights.”
“Financial resources are essential for people to position themselves and their families for success,” said Representative Bennie G. Thompson. “By making investments in small Delta towns and inner-city neighborhoods that support jobs, housing and economic stability, Hope Credit Union has become one of the nation’s most impactful financial institutions. I’m thrilled that through the HOPE Economic Empowerment Center, they will equip even more families with the tools needed to take control of their financial futures.”
The Hope Economic Empowerment Center is expected to open in September 2025. It will be HOPE’s ninth location in the Jackson metro area.
About HOPE: HOPE (Hope Enterprise Corporation, Hope Credit Union and Hope Policy Institute) provides financial services; leverages resources; and engages in advocacy that strengthens the financial health and wealth of people in under-resourced Deep South communities. Since 1994, these efforts have benefitted more than three million people in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, and influenced billions in investments in persistent poverty communities nationwide. Learn more at www.hopecu.org