Community Progress Council (CPC) is pleased to announce it has been awarded a $20,000 grant from Santander Bank, N.A. in support of the Housing and Financial Education program, which works with individuals and families of all income levels to help them meet their financial goals – whether it’s preparing to rent, purchasing their first home or building a savings.
“Unstable housing is a major social determinant of health, linked to increased use of emergency rooms, higher rates of chronic illness, and poorer mental health outcomes,” said Ruth Robbins, Chief Program Officer at Community Progress Council. “Without housing security, achieving stability in other areas like employment, food access, or healthcare is far more difficult.”
CPC’s Housing and Financial Education program provides a crucial intervention. Through first-time homebuyer workshops, counseling, and education; default and delinquency and foreclosure intervention; renter education and counseling; and financial literacy, and credit and budget education and counseling, participants gain the knowledge and tools to achieve long-term housing stability.
“For families seeking stable housing, they may also be facing complex challenges regarding employment, education, income, child care, transportation, and more,” said Robbins. “When someone needs or wants additional support, we can connect them with Coach at Community Progress Council to help them achieve short- and long-term goals toward economic self-sufficiency — perhaps beyond homeownership, or as a stepping stone to that ultimate goal.”
In 2025, CPC expanded its team to add a bilingual housing counselor who can meet the emerging need of Spanish-speaking families seeking support in achieving their financial and housing goals. Workshops are now regularly offered in person and virtually, in English and Spanish, and on weekdays and weekend dates.
In the 12-month period ending September 30, 2025, CPC’s Housing and Financial Education team helped 562 people gain the knowledge and skills to become financially empowered and meet their housing goals, including:
- 224 households who developed a customized budget with their counselor’s input
- 103 households that gained access to improve their housing situation
- 14 households that engaged in homebuying counseling and then purchased a home
- 59 households that prevented an eviction after receiving housing counseling services Housing & Financial Education programs are offered free of charge to individuals and families at all income levels.
Find upcoming workshop dates at https://yorkcpc.org/upcoming-events/, or learn more at https://yorkcpc.org/housing-financial-education/ and call 717-846-4600 to connect with a Navigator.
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About Community Progress Council
Founded in 1965, Community Progress Council is York County’s nonprofit community action agency, whose mission is to empower individuals and families to move toward self-sufficiency and advocate for change to promote community growth. Celebrating 60 years in 2025, Community Progress Council goes beyond emergency stopgaps to provide comprehensive, integrated services for low- and moderate-income people of all ages. Connected by client-centered coaching, programs include early childhood education through Head Start, Early Head Start and Pre-K Counts; housing and financial education; nutrition support and education via the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program; York City Community of Hope at Hannah Penn K-8; and the agency’s Self-Sufficiency Program that helps residents of York County reach financial stability. Learn more at www.YorkCPC.org.